Is love enough?
by rand0m1
Summary: What of things weren't as they seemed with Will and JJ? Later JJ/Emily pairing
1. Chapter 1

_**Relationships-of all kinds-are like sand held in your hand. Held loosely, with an open hand, the sand remains where it is. The minute you close your hand and squeeze tightly to hold on, the sand trickles through your fingers. You may hold onto some of it, but most will be spilled. A relationship is like that. Held loosely, with respect and freedom for the other person, it is likely to remain intact. But hold too tightly, too possessively, and the relationship slips away and is lost. – Kaleel Jamison**_

The team stepped out of the elevator and walked back to the bullpen. It had been a very trying case for them. They had caught the unsub but there had already been so many lives taken and so many more damaged by his actions that the victory seemed hollow.

"Anyone want to head to the bar after work?" Morgan asked the team. Some cases just needed that reconnection after them. Time spent talking about lighter things and surrounding yourself with people who didn't know what people were really capable of doing to one another. There was a chorus of agreements from various people. "JJ?"

"Thanks guys but I'm gonna head home and spend time with Henry."

"Come on Jayj, one drink?" Morgan turned his best puppy dog eyes on the blonde. She sighed. "One drink, no more." He flashed her the biggest smile before they all parted ways to fill out some paper work before heading to the bar.

The bar was busy that night but the BAU team still had their own table. They all sat talking and laughing. Simply enjoying time out with friends. They weren't BAU agents tonight. They were a group of friends just having a good time. Despite JJ's earlier conviction that she would only be staying for the one drink, when she was there she didn't want to leave straight away. She knew Henry would be asleep by the time she got back home and so she saw no harm in staying for a while with her friends and blowing off some steam. They had danced and talked for a couple of hours when JJ's phone rang. Seeing Will's name flash up on the screen she worried that something was wrong with Henry.

"Will, what's wrong?" JJ struggled to hear what he said with the music of the bar in her ear. She gestured to the others that she was just going to step out to talk on the phone before heading out the front of the bar. "That's better. What's wrong?"

"Where are you?" Will sounded annoyed. JJ frowned at the tone in his voice. She had sent him a message to let him know she was staying for a couple more drinks.

"I'm at the bar with the guys."

"Fine. I know where I stand." She heard the click of the phone being hung up at that point. She stood just looking at her phone in disbelief. She hadn't known Will to be so short with her before. Up until now, he had always been a complete gentleman. JJ walked back into the bar in a bit of a daze, still unsure about what had caused the sudden change in Will's behaviour. She took her seat back at the table and just stared at her drink, lost in her thoughts.

"Jayj? You ok?" Emily had been watching the blonde since she came back in. Her whole body language had changed in the short time that she had been out of the bar. It made something stir inside of Emily. She had this urge to protect her from any harm or sadness. Emily knew the route of that feeling but wasn't going to admit it. When greeted with further silence from the blonde she gently reached out and placed her hand on JJ's. The blonde jumped slightly at the contact and then seemed to snap back to reality.

"Yeah, I'm ok. Sorry." The brunette searched her blonde counterparts face, trying to work out what was going on behind the mask that had been thrown up. Part of her hoped that JJ would open up to her but as she had found in the past, that was a rare occurrence.

JJ kept replaying the conversation over in her head. She couldn't work out what had happened over the past few days that they had been away on the case to trigger the change in the man she had planned to spend her life with. Part of her mind was occupied by a nagging feeling that something bad was coming. That was something she chose to ignore. Probably just the burn out after the case making her worry about things that were trivial in reality.

The rest of the team had gathered around the table again when JJ next dragged herself out of her thoughts to notice her surroundings. "I'm going to call it a night guys."

"Ok Jayj. Take care and see you tomorrow." Emily bid her friend a goodnight and watched her get up to leave. There was a chorus of goodbyes from the rest of the team and Emily watched as the blonde made her way out of the bar.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

AN: Thanks for the comments, they are much appreciated.

The taxi pulled up outside the front of the house and JJ paid the driver. Part of her wanted to tell him to turn around and take her back to the bar. It was the same part that was telling her she didn't want to be here. Not tonight. Not when there was something that just felt off with the situation. She looked up at the house as the taxi pulled away, relief washed through her as she noticed the lights were all off. _Hopefully Will's asleep and things will be back to normal in the morning. _

She opened the door quietly just to make sure she didn't inadvertently wake him if her hopes came true. She was greeted with a silent house. A small sigh of relief escaped her lips. She made her way upstairs to Henry's room and looked in. He was lying in his crib with his favourite teddy clutched in one hand, fast asleep. A smile played on her lips as she just watched her son sleep peacefully.

After a few minutes of watching him, she quietly made her way across the hall to her bedroom. The door was pulled to and so she opened it ever so gently to avoid any noise. What she saw as the door opened and the light from the hallway spilled in made her heart stop. The bed was empty. She turned the light on to check that what she was seeing was reality. No Will. She quickly moved from room to room looking for him. All the while her mind was racing. If he wasn't here then who had been looking after Henry. What if something had happened and there had been nobody there?

After checking every room and finding no trace of him, she collapsed on the couch. Thoughts of what could have happened filling her mind. She could feel the panic rising inside her as the scenarios playing out in her head became more disturbing. So much could have happened and there would have been nobody there to help or to stop it. Thoughts of Henry crying and not having anybody come to comfort him. Thoughts of someone coming in to the house and taking him. Thoughts of Henry becoming ill or injured and nobody there to save him. A vision of her standing in Henry's bedroom, looking down at him flashed into her head…Only this time he wasn't breathing. She felt her stomach turn at the thought and rushed to the bathroom before emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

Slowly JJ managed to get her emotions back from the edge of panic. She couldn't reconcile the fact that Will had left their son alone in the house at night for god knows how long in her mind. There was no excuse for it. She knew that the next time she saw Will, there was a lot to say.

JJ spent most of the night pacing and checking on Henry. All the time her mind was racing with possibilities. She had tried calling Will's cell on several occasions but it had gone to voicemail every time.

Part of her wanted to never see Will again. She just couldn't understand how he could just up and leave without a thought for Henry's welfare. _What kind of a father or man for that matter does that?! _

JJ had started the usual morning routine of getting herself and Henry ready. The only difference being that today, Henry would be joining her at the FBI in the day care centre. She had just finished giving him his breakfast when she heard the sound of a key in the lock. Her jaw clenched involuntarily as her anger rushed through her. She waited for Will to appear in the kitchen but to her surprise, the next sound she heard was footsteps on the stairs.

JJ put Henry in his play pen before heading into the hall. "That it? You go out all night, leave our son alone in the house for god knows how long and then you just sneak back in?"

Will half turned to look back down the stairs at the blonde. "I'll do what I want. You seem to."

JJ felt the anger inside her rising to boiling point. "I told you I was going to be back late and Henry wasn't home alone. Where did you go that was more important than our son's safety?"

"Out." Will continued up the stairs with his one word response.

JJ wasn't going to let it go that easily. His wasn't something small or petty. This was a major issue and she deserved a better answer than that. She followed him up the stairs and found him in the bedroom. "Out? You think that is good enough? You left him! Alone! For who knows how fucking long and all you say is out?! What is your fucking problem Will?" She was shouting at him now. He had pushed her too far. All her fear and anger had combined and this was the result. Part of her was saying this was a bad idea but she was in too much of a rage to notice.

Until Will turned suddenly and pinned her against the wall with his arm across her throat. Her eyes widened in shock at what had just happened. Her mind was suddenly blank and her body frozen. His face was mere centimetres from hers and she could smell the alcohol on his breath. In a voice filled with venom he snarled back at her, "I'll do what I want, when I want and no fucking little bitch will tell me otherwise. Never dare to speak to me like that again or you will regret it." He applied more pressure to her throat to emphasise his last point before stepping away from her. He watched disgusted as JJ slid down the wall, coughing on the air that had rushed back into her lungs. Then he turned away and walked into the bathroom, leaving her on the floor.

Tears had formed in her eyes. The shock was starting to fade now and her instincts were kicking back in. She picked herself up off the floor, walked out of the room and went back downstairs. It was only as she picked up her badge and gun from the side that she noticed how much her hands were shaking. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself as best she could before picking up Henry and walking out. Not knowing what to do other than get to work where she knew both herself and Henry would be safe and she could think about what to do next.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I still own nothing.

Chapter 3

JJ had got into work earlier than usual, she'd even beaten Hotch in today. She took the time before the rest of the team got there to get some coffee and try to think about what could have happened to make Will snap. She might not be a profiler but spending so much time around them, she had picked up a few things. Add to that she was normally a very good judge of character. There hadn't been any warnings with Will. He ha just seemed like a genuine nice guy. They'd had some minor arguments in the past but that was to be expected with the situation they were thrown into. No matter how she tried, JJ just couldn't get the puzzle pieces to fit in her mind.

"Morning JJ." She looked up and saw Hotch standing in her door.

"Hey Hotch."

"Everything ok?" His eyes held a concern that she didn't see often. As much as she wanted someone to put the pieces together for her, she didn't want to admit that she might have got it so terribly wrong about someone. She didn't want to admit to missing signs that even though she couldn't for the life of her work out what or where they were, must be blatantly obvious. She worked at the BAU. It was part of her job to see things others missed. She couldn't admit she had missed something like this. She wasn't even sure that she had missed any signs.

"Yeah, just had a late one at the bar and then I was up early with Henry." Not entirely a lie. Hotch nodded and made his way to his own office. JJ let her eyes drift shut for a moment and pinched the bridge of her nose. As she willed the headache that was forming away, she pushed all personal thoughts and feelings as far back in her mind as she could and refocused on the job in hand. As her eyes opened, she reached for a file and started the arduous task of selecting the next case for the team to work.

* * *

It was a few hours later when JJ emerged from her office, files in hand. "Briefing in 5 minutes." She called over to the team who were in the bullpen. Emily looked up from her desk and watched as JJ made her way into the conference room. She knew there was still something bothering the blonde agent. A normal day would have seen at least 2 cups of coffee and a short stop by the bullpen for a bit of light hearted chat to momentarily put the images from the files piled high on her desk out of JJ's mind. Today though, there had been no sign of the blonde until that moment. Emily had resisted the urge to knock on the blonde's office door and ask. She didn't want to push her friend but she did hope that she would talk to her soon.

Emily grabbed a pen off her desk as she followed the others to the conference room. The files were already on the desk and JJ finished typing on the computer as they all took their seats.

"The local police have asked for our help in a case. They believe that a recent increase in suicides are in fact not as they appear." JJ clicked the remote in her hand and 12 images came up on the screen.

"What are you saying? That these suicides are murders?" Morgan asked looking up from his file.

"That is the current thinking of the lead detective."

"I don't see a connection here. The victims are all of different ages, different races and have no obvious affiliation to one another. So why do they think they are linked?" Morgan looked back to the pictures in his file.

"They all lived within a 15 mile radius of one another." Reid commented, finally looking up from the information in front of him.

"There are also similarities in the suicide note left. This one phrase 'I never could give the right answer to a simple question…Is love enough?' The rest of the note is different in each case so this could have been overlooked at the time." Emily added having read the scans of all the notes in the file.

"12 apparent suicides in such a small area in a short time is certainly cause for concern. The average is 4.5 suicides for females per 100,000 in the United States. Considering the area of land covered by the city is only 61.4 square miles and the total population is 591,883 then the expected suicides per year would be 26.63 per year." Reid informed the team of the statistics that he had memorised somehow.

"So basically 12 suicides in 6 weeks is high then?" Emily simplified Reid's lengthy explanation.

"Ok then, we are local this time. We'll meet downstairs in 20 minutes and then head over to the station." Hotch concluded the briefing. The team filed out of the conference room. Emily hung back, hoping JJ would take the opportunity to talk to her about what was going on.

JJ noticed the brunette deliberately taking her time to put her papers back into the file. "Em?" She watched as brown eyes looked up, meeting her gaze. She wanted to talk to her and get some advice and maybe some insight. Yet she just couldn't bring herself to say the words. "Can we talk later?"

"Sure Jayj. You can talk to me anytime." She watched as the blonde nodded, wondering if anything more would be said then.

"We'd better get sorted or we'll be late to meet the team." Emily nodded as JJ turned off the computer and the two women made their way out of the conference room. Thoughts of a personal matter put to the back of their minds for the time being.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

AN: Thanks for the reviews. Only a short chapter at the moment as I really have to mark some of the coursework that has piled up on my desk. I'll try to get some more written later.

Chapter 4

JJ headed back into her office just as her phone started to ring. She answered without checking the caller ID expecting it to be the detective from the case they were heading out on. "Agent Jareau."

"JJ, can we talk?" The southern voice made her stop in her tracks. She hadn't been ready for this. She had no idea what she was thinking or feeling right then. "JJ? Are you there?" His voice sounded concerned, sounded like the Will she had known for the past year.

Finally she managed to get her voice to work. "I'm here."

"Can we talk? Would you meet me for lunch?" There was a hint of pleading in his voice. JJ wasn't ready to talk to him yet. After all, what could be said that would make what happened that morning acceptable? How would the conversation even go? 'Hey JJ, sorry about choking you this morning and abandoning our son last night. Lets just put it behind us?' No, she needed time to think before seeing him. Before she heard what he had to say.

"We're heading out on a case."

She heard a sigh on the other end of the phone. "Ok, do you need me to pick up Henry from day care later?" Anger flashed inside the blonde at the mention of her son. How could he think that she would trust him to look after Henry after leaving him last night. It hadn't even been 24 hours yet.

"No, I've made other arrangements." She lied. Hoping Will would drop it and just accept it. Part of her mind was trying to come up with a plausible alternative arrangement if the team was on a case. She knew he would assume that meant they were travelling out of town and that assumption gave her the easy out for getting some time apart to sort her own mind. "How do I trust you after last night?" She didn't know why she asked the question. Now was not the time for a discussion on it all but part of her just needed to say it. To see if he had an answer.

"Ok." There was silence and for a moment JJ thought he had hung up. "We can talk later. Be careful JJ." He did sound sincere. It only served to create yet more conflicting emotions inside the blonde. The fact that he had avoided answering her question didn't escape notice. The next thing she heard was a click signalling the phone had been hung up. She closed her eyes for a moment feeling the pressure building that signalled she was in for one hell of a headache later. Sighing she closed her phone and went about collecting her files.

* * *

Outside the door, Emily felt her hand start to shake. She glanced down and noticed she had her fist clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. She could feel her nails digging into her palm. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop on JJ's phone conversation but as she came to check if the blonde agent was ready, she couldn't help but hear. What she heard combined with the strange way JJ was acting threw up lots of possibilities in her mind. None of them were good. There were more questions racing through her mind now. Several of the possibilities her mind threw up would involve Will experiencing some physical harm.

She wanted to walk into JJ's office and ask for the full story now. Find out what Will had done to the blonde to have taken that real sparkle out of her blue eyes. Emily knew that she couldn't do that. JJ had said they would talk later and the brunette had to trust the other woman to ask for help when and if she needed it. She would wait until JJ was ready. It had been the story of her life since she had begun working at the BAU and met the young agent for the first time. So she walked back to her desk and waited for the blonde to come out of her office so as not to raise any suspicions that she might have overheard the private conversation.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Still don't own them.

AN: Many thanks for the reviews, they are much appreciated.

Chapter 5

The team pulled up at the police station and made their way inside. JJ had given nothing away about what had gone on with Will. Emily watched as the blonde took the lead as they entered the station, scanning the room for the lead detective. To look at her now, nobody would guess that something had happened the night before. She watched as JJ shook hands with a detective before introducing the team.

"Detective Ripton? I'm Agent Jareau, we spoke on the phone this morning." The detective nodded. "This is Agent Hotchner, the head of the team and Agents Morgan, Rossi, Prentiss and Dr Reid." JJ indicated to each member of the team in turn as she introduced them.

"Thank you for coming. I appreciate your help on this one." The detective looked like he hadn't slept in a while. His shirt collar was open and his tie was off to one side.

"Is there somewhere we can set up?" Hotch asked, obviously wanting to get started.

"I've set aside the room in back for you. If there is anything you need then please just ask."

Hotch nodded and then turned to his team. "Morgan, Prentiss…I want you to go to the crime scenes that haven't been released yet. See what we can learn from there. Reid, set up a geographical profile and see if there is anything else these women have in common other than the location of their residences to one another. Dave…I want you to come with me to talk to the families of the victims. JJ, get Garcia to see if she can find a link to these women that might not be obvious to the rest of us."

The team dispersed and went about their different tasks.

* * *

Morgan and Emily looked around the apartment. It seemed very ordinary. Emily flipped open the folder to read the police report again. "No forced entry. No windows open. So if there was somebody else here they must have found a way to get the victim to open the door."

"The victim was found hanging from the pipe in the kitchen." Morgan moved to the kitchen and stood under the pipe where the victim was found. "This wouldn't be an easy task. With the cupboards here there is only a small amount of space to work in. Lifting a dead weight and keeping balance on the side would take a certain amount of skill and strength."

"What if there weren't dead weight?" Emily asked as she looked over at Morgan.

"What do you mean?"

"There were no signs of drugs or any contusions on the bodies. How would he knock them out? What if he found a way to get the up there voluntarily?"

Morgan frowned. "What would make someone stand on a side with a rope round their neck?"

"Hopefully Hotch and Rossi will find us some answers on that."

The two agents continued looking around the apartment. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The woman had obviously been a neat freak. Everything was in it's place. The remote controls were in a neat line and the books were all in alphabetical order on the shelf. Then Emily noticed something out of place. There was a CD sitting on top of the stereo out of its case. She walked over and looked for the case. Sure enough it was on the shelf to the side in it's correct place. It didn't seem right that someone so particular about organisation would leave a CD out of it's case on the side. Emily put the CD back in and pushed play. She listened as a song started playing…

_Stranger than your sympathy  
And this is my apology  
I killed myself from the inside out  
And all my fears have pushed you out_

"Em, I'm not sure that this is the time to be expanding your music taste." Morgan quipped as he walked over to the brunette.

And I wished for things that I don't need  
(all I wanted)  
And what I chased won't set me free  
(all I wanted)  
And I get scared but I'm not crawlin' on my knees

"Listen to the words. This one CD doesn't fit with anything else here." Emily continued listening as the song played on.

_  
Oh, yeah  
Everything's all wrong, yeah  
Everything's all wrong, yeah  
Where the hell did I think I was? _

And stranger than your sympathy  
Take these things, so I don't feel  
I'm killing myself from the inside out  
And now my head's been filled with doubt

We're taught to lead the life you choose  
(all I wanted)  
You know your love's run out on you  
(all I wanted)  
And you can't see when all your dreams aren't coming true

Oh, yeah  
It's easy to forget, yeah  
When you choke on the regrets, yeah  
Who the hell did I think I was?

And stranger than your sympathy  
And all these thoughts you stole from me  
And I'm not sure where I belong  
And no where's home and no more wrong

And I was in love with things I tried to make you believe I was  
And I wouldn't be the one to kneel before the dreams I wanted  
And all the dark and all the lies were all the empty things disguised as me

"Ok. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking we check to see if the other scenes had an odd CD lying around. Unless you found anything, this is all we have to go with." Emily took the CD out of the stereo and put it safely in another case to stop it getting damaged. "I'm going to get this to Garcia and see what she can find out from it." The two agents then made their way out of the apartment and headed on to the next scene.

* * *

AN: The song lyrics are Sympathy by the Goo Goo Dolls


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, I'm just playing with them for a while.

AN: Apologies for the slower update. I found it hard to get into this bit. I'm not totally happy with this chapter but here it is. Thanks again for the reviews, they motivate me to keep writing. :o)

Chapter 6

"What have we got?" Hotch asked as the team reassembled in their temporary conference room.

"All of the victims lived within 15 miles of each other." Reid pointed towards the map. "But there are no other obvious links between the victims."

"They were all successful in their chosen careers and led normal lives from what we could tell from the families. One thing all of the victims had in common was their relationships. They were all at some point of a relationship breakdown which their partners associated with their success at work." Rossi added.

"That makes something we found at the last 3 scenes more interesting. There was a recorded CD at all 3 scenes that had just one track on it." Emily opened her phone and called Garcia.

"You have reached the office of the omniscient. State your request."

"Garcia, did you find out anything from that CD I sent over?"

"Aww sweet cheeks, I thought you were sending me some romantic tunes to lighten my day but alas, I fear your heart belongs to another." JJ noticed Emily's cheeks redden slightly. She made a mental note to find out more about that later. "But enough of that, the song on the CD is called Sympathy. I've sent over a copy of the lyrics for your perusal."

"Was there any way to identify where the CD was recorded?"

"I know what you are thinking Boss man but this unsub is not totally without techno-how. No BTK lucky break here. There were no identifiable tags."

"Thanks Garcia."

"Goddess out." Emily hung up the phone as JJ handed out the lyrics Garcia had e-mailed over to them.

The team read the lyrics that had been handed out. JJ couldn't help but wonder why Emily had blushed at Garcia's comment. Did Garcia know something she didn't? Was Emily interested in someone? The blonde found herself staring at the brunette, trying to read what was going on in her mind but drawing a total blank. As Emily looked up, their eyes met briefly before JJ looked away, hoping the other agent hadn't realized how long she had been watching her for.

"These lyrics could be interpreted as someone who lost sight of what was important. Or at least what the unsub believed was important. These women all prioritized their jobs over family and partners. He could see himself as setting them free from their regrets."

"Ok, so the only other question is how did he hang them? Me and Prentiss couldn't work out how to lift a grown adult onto the kitchen side and hang them. There just wasn't the space."

"I might have something on that. Last night there was someone who fits the rest of the descriptions. Successful in her job, recently moved out of the family home to an apartment within our radius." JJ pulled a case file out of a pile in the corner of the room. "Laura McLaren. She was shot in her home last night."

"So they hang themselves when threatened at gun point?" Reid looked puzzled. "Why would someone do that?"

"Maybe there is something they fear more than dying themselves. They all had kids. A mother will do what they need to in order to protect their child." JJ stated simply. Knowing that if she was in that situation, she would do anything to save Henry.

"Ok, let's give the police their profile." Hotch concluded the team meeting and they all filed out of the door.

* * *

"The unsub we are looking for will be a white male in his late 20's to early 30's. He will live within the radius marked on the maps you have been given. This is his comfort zone. He is very organized and is careful to never leave evidence behind at the scene." Rossi started the profile.

"He will be in a relationship with someone that makes him feel inferior and emasculated. His partner will hold a job with a position of considerable power or responsibility. She will most likely spend a lot of time at work and away from the family. Making him feel second best." Morgan continued.

"There would have been a significant event that occurred about 6 weeks ago. Something that would have made his feelings of inferiority seem greater and his resentment for these women grow." Emily looked around at the officers taking notes as they continued with their profile.

"It is possible that until last night, people around him would have been unaware of any change in his behaviour."

"What happened last night?" One of the officers from the back questioned the team.

"Something went wrong with his usual routine. We believe he uses a gun and threats against the family to get these women to commit suicide. Obviously, this didn't work last night and so he shot her. As a result of this, there would have been a change in his behaviour. Any deviation from this well practiced routine would have thrown him. He might appear more agitated and show a greater resentment towards his own family. Up until this point, he had been able to control these feelings by transferring them to others." Reid concluded.

"I know this is not much to go on initially but we hope to have more for you soon." Hotch addressed the officers before closing the briefing. "Morgan, call Garcia and get her to check for any links between the victims and their families."

"What are you thinking Hotch?"

"Get her to start with relationship or marriage counsellors. If these people are having problems with their relationships, it is possible they have sought help." Hotch watched as Morgan headed off to their room, flipping his phone open. Until they had something more, there was very little they could do. They had to wait and hope that Garcia could turn up something useful.

* * *

Emily had looked for JJ after they had finished giving the profile to the local officers but hadn't seen her in the room. She cast a glance over to the station coffee pot and could suppress the internal cringing at the thought of drinking another cup of coffee that tasted like paint stripper. She decided there was only one thing to do in a situation like this…Go to Starbucks. She made her way out of the station and for the second time that day found herself inadvertently eavesdropping on the blonde's phone conversation.

"I know it's a lot to ask Pen but I won't be back in time to pick him up." There was a pause as Garcia was obviously speaking. "No, he's not to know. I'll be back as soon as Hotch says we can call it a night." Another pause. "I don't know, probably just get a hotel for a few nights." JJ sighed then at whatever Garcia had said. "I know and I promise I'll tell you about it, just not yet. I'll see you later." JJ was about to hang up her phone when she obviously heard Garcia say something else. "I know I do. Give him a kiss from me." With that she hung up the phone.

Emily watched as JJ leant against the railing, her head dropping forwards as she took deep breaths. Not wanting to startle the blonde she took a couple of steps forward before calling her, "Jayj?" The blonde turned to look at her. "I'm heading out for coffee if you fancy joining me?" Emily hoped that the younger agent would take her up on her offer. It might give the opportunity for them to talk, for Emily to find out what was going on in JJ's life.

"Sounds good." JJ offered a weak smile. "I wanted to talk to you anyway." She hoped that she would be able to find the words to talk to the brunette. She also hoped that if she could talk about what had been happening, that Emily would be able to provide her with the answers she couldn't find for herself.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, I just borrow them for a while before returning them mainly unharmed.

AN: Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, I'm glad people liked it. They gave me the incentive to ignore the work I should have been doing and write this chapter. Oops.

Chapter 7

Emily stole at glance at the blonde sitting next to her as she fastened her seat belt. JJ looked drained. She'd seen the younger agent look tired before. Had seen how cases had affected her in the past. This time there was something more, something deeper than just the case or just being tired. Emily wanted to pull her into a hug more than anything but she knew that until JJ opened up to her, it wouldn't be welcomed. Emily started the SUV and pulled out of the parking lot.

JJ stared out of the windscreen at the road ahead. She opened her mouth to talk but then closed it again, not being able to think of the words to say. She knew that Emily viewed the team as her family. She knew what lengths the brunette would go to in order to protect them. She knew what Emily had done to protect Reid in Colorado, had seen the bruises and the cuts first hand. It was then that JJ knew that Emily would sacrifice herself to save her family given the choice. It was another reason that finding the words to explain what had happened in the past 24 hours was so hard. JJ sighed. "Who'd have thought I'd be unable to find the right words?" She lightly mocked herself trying to ease the pressure building inside her.

"Maybe there are no right words. Sometimes you just have to say things." Emily cast a quick glance at the blonde and offered a reassuring smile.

"Things aren't going well with Will." JJ noticed Emily's jaw clench momentarily at the mention of Will's name. "Things haven't been good for a while really." There was a silence as the blonde got lost in her thoughts trying to remember when things had been good with him last.

"Jayj, something tells me that whatever is going on is more than things just not going well." Now all her suspicions from the day before were flashing back through her mind about what had been going on, Emily couldn't stop herself from encouraging JJ to keep talking. She had to know what the truth was.

"Are you profiling me Agent Prentiss? Do I need to resend the memo about intra-office profiling?" JJ asked with a slight smirk. A hint of the old JJ shining through for the first time in what felt like forever to Emily.

Emily couldn't help but smile. "Not at all Agent Jareau." Emily changed to a slightly more serious tone, "I just know you."

"Em, Will has changed. When I first met him he was the perfect gentleman. He was sweet and caring. He moved here and gave up his job and everything for me and Henry." There was a pause. This was the part she really didn't know how to say or how the brunette would react. "But something changed last night."

Emily pulled up outside the coffee shop. Putting the SUV into park she turned the engine off before turning to look at the blonde sitting to her right. Willing her to continue with what had happened.

"When I called him from the bar he was really off. He made some comment about knowing where he stands." The pieces started to click into place in Emily's mind. She remembered the change in the blonde after she had made that call. It had been clear something had been said that hadn't sat well with her at the time but there hadn't been the opportunity to find out what it was at the time. There was now a feeling of regret settling into the pit of Emily's stomach. She couldn't help but think that she should have found the time to find out what was wrong then.

"So what did he say when you got home?"

There was a pause before JJ answered. "He wasn't there."

"What do you mean he wasn't there? He took Henry somewhere in the middle of the night without telling you? Did he even leave a note? How could he do that? Did he not think that you would worry about where Henry was and if he was ok?" The questions all rushed out. Emily couldn't hide the obvious contempt she felt for the man who would throw JJ into such turmoil about what could be happening with her son by being so thoughtless. Emily stopped her questions as soon as she looked into the blue eyes in front of her. She saw the barely contained tears threatening to spill.

"He wasn't there…but Henry was. Alone." With the last word the tears began to fall. All of the thoughts and feelings from the previous night came rushing back. Sitting there, in the parking lot of the coffee shop next to Emily, JJ finally let the feelings she had been trying to keep in check take over. "Something could have happened Em. I just…I just kept thinking about what could have happened and…" Her words were lost to the tears. Emily slid herself closer to the blonde and pulled her into a hug.

Her mind was reeling with the revelation from JJ. She could imagine everything that had rushed through her mind at finding Henry home alone. It explained why JJ was so tired and drained. Emily wanted to find something to say to make it better but sometimes there were no words. There was nothing to say. "Henry is ok. He's safe now." It wasn't much but it was all she had to offer. They were both all too aware of the what ifs that could have been. Dwelling on them would do no good.

Eventually, Emily felt JJ pull back from her arms. As she moved away from her, she couldn't help but feel the emptiness of the space the blonde had previously occupied. Blue eyes met brown again. Their gazes met and locked for a moment as if JJ was searching for an answer there. "Em, there's more to it." The blonde placed her hand on Emily's arm. Silently hoping that what she was about to say wasn't a mistake. She didn't want Emily to look at her as a victim. She was an FBI agent and knew how to take care of herself but she hadn't that morning. She had let herself become a victim. She was ashamed enough of that fact without having to see the pity in the brunette's eyes.

"Tell me Jennifer, please." JJ had never heard that tone in Emily's voice before. It was almost a pleading.

"You have to promise me something though?"

Part of Emily's mind was telling her not to promise anything right then. That the promise she was expected to make would be impossible to keep. The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach was telling her the rest of JJ's story was not going to be any more enjoyable than the first part. Looking at the younger agent, she couldn't refuse. She had to know the full story, even if it meant keeping a promise that would be near impossible not to break. "What promise?"

"Promise that you won't do anything. I just need you to listen. I need to talk to someone but just don't do anything. Promise me that?"

Emily took a deep breath. That sinking feeling was growing into a gaping chasm. "I promise."

JJ nodded her eyes closed briefly. When they opened again, there was no eye contact. The blonde kept her gaze on the handbrake. "When he got home…" At that moment, her cell rang. She considered ignoring it for a brief moment before answering. "Agent Jareau." There was a silence as the person on the other end of the phone spoke. "We're on our way back now Hotch." She clicked the phone shut before looking back at the brunette. "Garcia found something. Hotch wants us back there now."

Emily noticed how all the walls that had been gone moments before were back. The press liason mask was back on. "Ok." Emily reached for the ignition but paused just before starting the engine. "Do you want to stay at mine for a few days? With Henry of course."

JJ was caught off guard. She hadn't expected this from Emily. The only person that knew she didn't want to go home was Garcia. _It doesn't take a profiler to see you don't want to go back there yet JJ. _She snapped back to reality at hearing Emily's voice, "Forget I mentioned it. It was a stupid idea."

"Em? I'd like that. Thank you." The blonde smiled at the brunette. A genuine smile. One that came from knowing she had just been granted the time and space she needed to think everything over. "Let's get back so we can finish for the night."

With that Emily started the SUV and they drove back to the station. Neither woman speaking, both lost in their own thoughts. Emily about what the rest of the story was and JJ about how to finish her tale.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

AN: Thanks for the reviews. They are much appreciated. :o)

Chapter 8

The team had only had to meet briefly at the station. Garcia had turned up a local counsellor who either the victims or their partners had been seeing. They had to wait until the morning to get a warrant in order to gain access to the names of other patients. It was the best link they had and they only hoped that come morning, there would be a new break in the case.

Emily found JJ in the team's temporary conference room. "Ready to go?"

JJ looked up from the file she was working on. "Definitely." The relief that the day was over was clearly evident on the blonde's face. She closed the file and placed it back on the pile. The two agents then made their way out of the police station for the drive back to Quantico to pick up Henry.

The drive over was filled with light hearted conversation. Emily could tell that JJ wasn't ready to continue with their talk from earlier just yet. She was just happy that the tension that had been radiating from the blonde earlier had dissipated somewhat. It wasn't completely gone but there were signs that JJ had started to relax.

"Ok Em, tell me something I don't know about you." Emily was surprised by the query. Sure they discussed their personal lives but up until then, Emily had managed to maintain a certain amount of mystery about herself.

"Erm, like what?" There were plenty of things flashing through Emily's mind that JJ didn't know. Some were things that she doubted she would ever share with another human being.

"I don't know. How about…your favourite memory from childhood?"

Emily didn't have to think for long about that. "Austria when I was 12. We went for a trip up into the mountains. The views were amazing. The cabin we were staying in overlooked a lake. The water was so still that it was like a mirror. It gave a perfect reflection of the mountains around it and the sky. It was so beautiful there and peaceful. I'd get up in the morning before anyone else and just sit out on the deck and watch the sunrise in the lake." Emily smiled at the memory. It really was one of the most beautiful places she had ever been. One bonus of her mother working all around the world as she grew up.

"It sounds lovely. I've never really travelled much. One of the things on my list of things to do before I die."

Emily pulled into the garage of the FBI building and the two agents walked up to Garcia's office. As they reached the door, they couldn't help but smile at hearing the story Garcia was telling.

"And you see Little Red Riding Hood had appealed to the court of human rights about the blatant size-ist remarks that people always used when talking about her and from that day forwards she was known as Red Riding Hood. Although people frequently questioned why she kept the riding part of her name…after all, she was never on a horse and bikes hadn't been invented yet. So Red Riding Hood went to see her Grandma who for some reason lived in a house in the woods. Now while the woods are picturesque and peaceful, there were some serious issues. She had to chop her own wood for fires which when you are old and frail is never an easy task; the supermarket wouldn't do home delivery as she was outside their area and the biggest problem of all was the lack of a broadband provider and that cell phone service was totally unreliable. That was the root of the problem when the big bad wolf came along. She had no way to notify the law enforcement agencies about the intruder on her property; she couldn't even update her status on facebook to 'Grandma is currently tied up in the closet thanks to the big bad wolf'."

Garcia turned round at hearing the laughter. "Garcia…You have to stop before my lung falls out!" Emily managed to get out between laughs.

"Ewww…Gross image Em!" Garcia replied. "I was only telling my Godson a slightly more up to date version of the fairy tale."

"How has he been?" JJ asked as she picked her son up. He giggled as JJ gave him a kiss on his head and then proceeded to play with her shirt.

"He's been a little angel." Garcia smiled at the scene in front of her.

"Thank you so much for this Garcia. You're a life saver."

"Don't mention it little momma. Now I think you should get that little man home and tell him the end of his story. We were just getting to the good part."

Emily and JJ just looked at each other. Neither of them sure they could compete with Garcia on the story telling front. "Maybe you should finish it next time."

Garcia stood up from her chair and gave Henry a kiss on the top of his head and bid the two women good night. Emily picked up Henry's day bag and they headed up to the bullpen so JJ could collect her go bag.

* * *

Emily pulled up outside her house, closely followed by JJ. She went over to the passenger side of the car and took the bags so JJ was free to carry Henry. As they walked in Emily flipped a light on and then noticed JJ had stopped. She turned to see what was wrong. "Jayj?"

"Sorry, I've just never been to your house before Em. How do you afford this on an FBI salary or am I seriously underpaid?"

"Trust fund." Was the only answer Emily gave. She didn't like talking about her money. The only time she had actually used any of it was to buy her house. The rest just sat in an account. She preferred to earn her money for everything else. Most people didn't understand so she usually didn't mention it.

JJ nodded, sensing Emily didn't want to talk about it. "Where shall I put him down?"

Emily pointed up the stairs. "First door on the right. It's all set up as a guest room. Will he be ok in a bed?"

"Yeah, I'll put some pillows around to stop him rolling too far. Thanks Em." Emily watched as JJ headed up the stairs to put Henry to bed. As the blonde vanished from sight, she went into the kitchen to search out some take out menus. It was a simple plan…Order food, eat and talk. At least she hoped it was going to be that simple.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them.

AN: Thanks for all the reviews. They are all very much appreciated. Apologies for the slower update than normal, the weekend got away from me. I hope this is worth the wait :o)

Chapter 9

JJ had settled Henry into the bed and watched as he drifted back to sleep quickly. He was a good baby and had started sleeping through the night almost straight away. Something JJ was very thankful for after her return to work. She wasn't sure how she would have handled being up through the night and then going to work to read through case files. As she watched his breathing settle into a slow rhythm, she couldn't help but think about everything that had happened over the past couple of years. The memories of happy times and then the more recent experiences. A frown crossed her face as she thought about what she still had to tell Emily. She had never had a problem talking to the other woman before. Conversations just seemed to flow easily between them. At least, they used to. JJ thought back over the past year, since the team had found out about Will, and realised that they hadn't been talking like they used to. Casting her mind back she could clearly recall the conversations that went on for hours about anything and everything. The way they always used to joke around with one another. The way Emily would occasionally touch her as she went past or as they talked. Recently, it hadn't been like that. The conversations seemed more work centric and always shorter. They even joked around less together. Realisation dawned on the blonde, the brunette had been distancing herself from her. The only question JJ had was why? With one last glance over to Henry, she made her way back downstairs.

Emily was sitting on the couch, flicking through the channels. "Nothing on?" JJ asked as she approached the brunette.

"Nope." Emily looked over at the blonde. "You hungry? I was thinking take out as I really don't think you are ready for my cooking just yet." A lop sided smirk accompanied the wink she gave JJ.

"Sounds good." JJ sat on the couch at the other end to Emily. "Who delivers? I really don't fancy going out again tonight. Your couch is way too comfy." The blonde sat back, letting her head lean against the back and her eyes drift closed.

Emily's eyes swept down the blonde's body before looking back to her face. She mentally chastised herself for her actions. JJ needed a friend, that was it. "Erm, pizza, Chinese or Indian?"

JJ seemed to think for a while. "Pizza."

"Ok, you want a wine or beer?" Emily called back as she made her way into the kitchen.

"Beer please. Don't you want to know what topping?" JJ opened her eyes and looked over to the kitchen.

"Pepperoni." Emily answered.

"How did you know that?" JJ asked.

"You always order it at film nights." The answer came back.

JJ took time to relax while Emily called through their order. She looked around the lounge she was in. It was very simple and minimalistic in its nature. On the bookshelf were some photos. JJ was about to investigate the pictures when Emily returned and handed her a beer.

"Should be here in 30 minutes." Emily sat back on the couch and looked over at the blonde. She noticed how much more relaxed JJ was. "Did you finish Garcia's bedtime story?" The brunette wasn't ready to lose that relaxed version of the blonde just yet. She wanted to know what had happened that morning but for now she was just happy spending time with the other woman. Deciding to keep things on a lighter note for a while.

"I would have no idea where to go with that. He was out for the count as soon as he hit the bed anyway."

"Maybe Garcia is the only one who can finish the story. I think my version would end up with a profile of the wolf and what had driven him to kidnap Grandma in the first place. Not what bedtime stories should involve."

The two women laughed at the image of profiling the baddies in all of the fairy tales. Just being able to joke around with one another again. They had both missed moments like this. They continued their chatting until the doorbell went signalling the arrival of their food. When Emily returned with the pizza boxes, JJ had found a movie to watch with their food. They settled down to watch the film and enjoy their pizza.

* * *

As the titles rolled up the screen, Emily decided it was time to pursue the conversation that had been called to a premature halt earlier by Hotch's phone call. "So…Do you want to finish our conversation from earlier?"

JJ looked back at the brunette and seemed to consider the two options. "I guess." Her eyes darkened to almost a midnight blue. "God Em, this is really hard."

"Jayj, as I said earlier. Sometimes there are no right words or easy ways to say things. Sometimes, they just need saying. What happened last night?" Emily watched as the blonde visibly prepared herself for whatever she was about to say.

"I spent the night going between being so angry that I was shaking and so scared that I was sick. Part of me wanted him to come home so I could tell him what I thought of him. Another part of me never wanted him to come back, never wanted to see him again." She paused to take a couple of deep breaths. She could feel her heart starting to pound inside her chest. "He didn't come back all night. I was just finishing getting Henry ready when he came in." JJ stood up suddenly and walked over to the bookcase. She absent-mindedly touched one of the frames sitting on the shelf, not really seeing the picture it contained. "He got in and I waited. I waited in the kitchen for him to come in. To hear what he had to say for himself. I was trying so hard to think of a reason why he might have gone without saying anything. Thought there might be a reason that he was going to give me. He didn't. He didn't even come in. He just walked up the stairs." JJ stopped to take another deep breath. This one was slightly shaky. "I went after him. Everything I had been feeling for the whole night just spilled over and I couldn't stop it. I should have just gone to work. Shouldn't have followed him or shouted at him." Her head dropped forward slightly and she reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose.

Emily watched the woman in front of her. Could see how much the blonde was taking responsibility for what had happened between her and Will. She wanted to offer some comfort but knew that at that moment, the best thing to do was to just listen. To let the younger woman say everything she needed to.

When JJ started speaking again her voice seemed more distant. "I stopped him on the stairs. I should have just let it go. He just said he had been out. I should have left it at that. Should never have pushed it. I should have just got Henry and gone to work. Instead I followed him upstairs to the bedroom." She crossed her arms over her chest as if she protecting herself from a cold only felt by the blonde. "I just lost it then. I lost my control. We are always taught not to get into confrontations when unsure of the way the other party will respond. I did it anyway. I shouted at him." Her hand unconsciously went up to her neck. "Then…Then he turned. He pinned me to the wall by my throat." A single tear rolled down her cheek. "I didn't move. Didn't try and stop him. I just stood there. Let him choke me."

Emily felt the anger rise inside her. Felt her jaw clench and her hand ball into a fist so tightly that her nails dug into her palm. At that moment, she was ready to forget any and all promises she had made. The only thought in her mind was that Will deserved to experience some pain of his own. He had caused JJ pain both physically and emotionally. He had also made her question herself and her own actions and that was beyond forgiveness as far as Emily was concerned.

JJ turned suddenly facing Emily, blue eyes met brown, tears freely flowing down her cheeks now. The walls that had been keeping everything at bay all day had crumbled. "I thought…I thought…" She stopped and was visibly shaking. The next part was whispered so quietly that Emily struggled to hear it. "I didn't think he was going to stop."

Emily couldn't stand seeing the blonde this upset. The blue eyes that were normally so radiant, now just appeared to reflect so much pain. All thoughts of Will were pushed from her mind. Her only concern was the woman standing in front of her. She stood up and took the few steps between them before wrapping her arms around the younger woman. She felt the blonde wrap her arms around her in return and then she let go. Emily just held her as she cried. Glad that the blonde couldn't see the tears slipping silently down her cheeks.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

AN: Just a short one tonight I'm afraid…Work got in the way today. I might try and get another part done later tonight. Thanks again for the feedback on the last chapter. I was a bit unsure that I had got it right. :o)

Chapter 10

Eventually JJ's tears had subsided and the exhaustion from the past 24 hours had caught up with her. The two women headed up to their beds knowing that the morning brought another day of trying to solve the current case. As soon as JJ's head hit the pillow, she was fast asleep.

Emily, however, couldn't sleep. She had tried. She'd lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. Tossed and turned and just could not get comfortable. She had eventually given up on the bed and had begun pacing around her bedroom. The thoughts of what had happened to the blonde that had come to mean so much to her racing through her mind. These thoughts were occasionally interspersed with images of inflicting pain on Will. Every so often there would be an image of what could have been. Thoughts that Emily pushed out of her mind as soon as they made themselves known. Giving up on sleep, she decided her time would be better spent on something constructive.

She headed back downstairs and turned on her computer. She flicked through the news pages, not really taking in anything she read. She leant back in her chair and a picture sitting off to the side of the desk caught her eye. She reached over and brought it closer. It was one of the many Garcia shots that Emily had scattered around her house. This one was a favourite, although the memory associated was slightly embarrassing. They'd ended up doing karaoke one night at the bar and somehow JJ had convinced her to sing with her. It was only when they got up on the stage and the music had started that she realised that JJ was making her sing to 'you're the one that I want' from Grease. Emily had been about the make a dash for it from the stage when JJ had looked at her with the best puppy dog eyes she had ever seen. It was in that moment that she knew she had no hope of leaving…Either the stage or the blonde's life. Even if it was only as her friend. It was a few days later when Garcia had e-mailed her some pictures from the night and this one was there. Emily was standing behind JJ with her hands on the blonde's hips, their faces turned towards each other. Emily smiled as she looked at the image in her hand.

Emily then had a flash of inspiration and put the photo back down before typing away. Finding what she was looking for, she clicked the mouse a few more times and then shut the computer down. She briefly considered changing her mind and turning the computer back on to cancel it but there was a part of her that felt a certain conviction that this was the right thing to do. Finally, Emily headed for bed and managed to sleep.

* * *

As morning came, the two agents set about getting ready for work. Emily watched as JJ got Henry ready. It was just so easy to do this with JJ.

"Em, can you watch him while I finish getting ready?" The blonde asked, snapping the brunette out of her thoughts.

"Sure." Emily held out her arms to take the baby from JJ. "Come here little guy." She settled his weight into her arms easily and couldn't help but smile at the cheeky grin she received from him. She carried him into the lounge so they could sit together as JJ went back upstairs to finish getting ready.

"You know what little fella, you are one lucky guy. I know it might seem crazy saying that right now but it's true. You have the best mom anyone could wish for. I know that she'd do anything to protect you." Emily wondered how much he was taking in as his big blue eyes looked up at her. "She loves you more than anything. She'd do anything to keep you safe, even if it meant putting herself in danger. You don't have to worry about that though because I'll do whatever is in my power to keep her safe." Emily heard footsteps on the stairs. She gave Henry a kiss on his forehead. "I promise."

"What do you promise?" JJ asked as she walked into the lounge.

Emily looked up at the blonde and smiled. "Just something between me and the little guy here. It's our secret." She winked at Henry.

"Em, you do know he's a baby and doesn't talk yet right? So I'm not convinced that he would grasp the whole concept of secrets and winking." JJ joked, a smile spreading across her face.

"Well, if he doesn't talk then my secret is safe, winking or not."

JJ rolled her eyes at the brunette knowing she wasn't going to win this one. "Ready to go make the world a safer place then?" Emily nodded and stood, carrying Henry out to the car.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: None of them are mine.

AN: Thanks for the reviews, they are always much appreciated. My apologies for any typos in this but I wanted to get this up before watching year 10 sit an exam. Hopefully there will be more later. Enjoy :o)

Chapter 11

As the two agents pulled up at the station, a sinking feeling set in as they noticed a group of reporters beginning to form. "There goes my idea of a press free day." JJ muttered. They got out of the SUV and headed into the station, managing to avoid too many questions from the press. As soon as they got through the doors Hotch called them into the back room.

"The press got tipped off about our involvement. JJ I'm going to need you to prepare a statement. A press conference has been arranged for 11am. Reid, Prentiss…I want you two to head out and talk to that counsellor Garcia identified last night."

The team dispersed. Reid and Emily made their way out to the SUV. "So what do you think the chances are of either the counsellor being our unsub and admitting to it or telling us who we are looking for?" Emily asked hopefully.

"Statistically speaking…"

Emily cut him off before she got bombarded with fact and figures. "Reid, it was a rhetorical question. It's way too early for statistics." Emily started the SUV and drove to their destination. The drive over was quiet as Reid was no doubt still calculating some statistics about counsellors and crimes, even if he didn't share it with the brunette.

They walked into the offices and made their way to the reception desk. "We're here to see Mr Connor." Emily stated.

The blonde behind the desk didn't even look up from her computer screen. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No."

Before Emily could continue the blonde had cut her off, "He's fully booked today and only works on an appointment system."

"I'm sure he can fit us in." Emily held her badge in front of the computer screen. She watched as the blonde glanced at the badge and then finally over at them. She then reached for the phone.

"Mr Connor, there are two FBI agents here." She waited as he spoke to her. The agents unable to hear the other side of the conversation. "Yes sir." She hung up the phone. "You can go through."

The two agents walked through into the office. It was your typical counsellors office. A couch and an armchair on one side of the room. There was a bookcase against the wall which was no doubt filled with various texts that were never used. On the opposite side of the room was a desk. A middle aged man was sitting at the desk working on a file. Noticing the entry of the two agents he finished his sentence and placed his pen down before standing to greet them. "Good morning Agents…?"

"Prentiss and this is Dr Reid." Emily filled in for the man.

"A pleasure to meet you both. Please have a seat." He gestured to the chairs by the desk. The two agents sat down as he resumed his earlier seat. "Now, what brings you here?"

"We are investigating a series of murders and believe you might know the unsub." Reid answered.

"What makes you think that?"

"All of the victims had links to you. Either their partners or themselves saw you for counselling at some point in recent months." She handed him a list of names of the victims. Watching his response.

The man looked at the names on the list and seemed genuinely shocked. "All of these women are dead?"

"Yes. Could you tell us anything about them or why they were coming to see you?"

"They were all seeing me for relationship issues. They all stemmed from having jobs that took them away from the home for long periods. Career verses family situations." He handed the paper back to Emily. "I'm afraid I can't divulge any more information without the consent of their partners, I hope you understand."

Emily nodded. "We believe that the man who killed these women is known to you. He might be a patient here or work here."

The man took his glasses off to clean them. "There are only the two of us that work here."

"How about a cleaner or janitor?" Reid asked.

"Mrs Jeffries is our cleaner. I'm assuming that you are not looking for a woman in her mid 50's." He stated, not having missed the fact that the agents had mentioned a male in their questions.

"If nobody else has access to your office then it must be a patient." Emily guessed what the reaction to the next question would be before asking. "Could we have a list of all of your patients?"

His green eyes looked up at her and he placed his glasses back on. He was quiet for a moment as he contemplated what was being asked. "Can I trust that if I supply you with the names, they will not be used for any other purpose than catching this man?"

Both Emily and Reid were surprised. They had expected a flat out refusal unless they obtained a court order. "Sir, I can guarantee that our only interest is in catching this unsub before he hurts someone else."

He nodded before turning to his computer. A few moments later a list printed out which he handed to Emily. The agents thanked him for his help and turned to leave. As they reached the door he called after them, "I hope you catch him soon." Emily turned back, "So do I. Thank you again Mr Connor."

Once outside the building, Emily pulled out her phone. "Hey Hotch, we have a list of all the patients. We're on our way back now." She listened to his reply and then hung up her cell.

As they got back to the station, Emily took the list into the back room to fax to Garcia. She saw JJ sitting at the desk. "Hey."

"Hey Em. You get anything?"

"We have a list of all the patients but won't know anymore until Garcia does some digging for us. You doing ok?" The brunette looked up from the fax machine to give a visual examination of the blonde.

"Yeah. Better than yesterday." She offered a small smile. "Once I get this press conference done then I'll be good."

Emily nodded and then looked back at the fax machine as the transmission started to send. She opened up her phone.

"You have reached Mystic Myrtle, which area of your life would you like a reading on?"

"Hey Garcia. I've just sent you a fax of names from the counsellor. I need you to work your magic and see id anything interesting pops up about anyone."

"Consider it done my brown eyed girl."

Emily closed her phone and noticed JJ smiling. She was about to ask JJ what the smile was for when Hotch walked in. "Ready JJ?"

"Just finished Hotch." JJ stood and made her way out of the room to give the press conference.

* * *

JJ came back into the team's make shift conference room after she had finished talking with the press. She made her way over to one of the chairs and sat back. She was glad of the empty room for a while. Deciding that a coffee was called for she made her way over to the pot and poured a cup. Just as she was heading back to her seat to relax for a few minutes, her phone rang. She didn't bother checking the caller ID, assuming it was one of the team. "Agent Jareau."

"JJ, I thought you were away on a case." The southern drawl came through the phone making JJ stop in her tracks. She hadn't thought about the fact that Will might see her on TV giving the press conference.

"I am on a case." It was all she could muster up as a reply. She didn't want to be having this conversation, not now. She wasn't ready. She silently wished that Emily was there. There was just something calming and reassuring about having the brunette near by.

"You could have come home last night. Where did you stay?" His voice sounded genuinely concerned and almost hurt that she would choose to stay away without needing to.

JJ was quiet for a moment. Not sure she wanted to tell him where she was really staying but unable to think of an alternative that would be plausible. "I'm staying with Emily."

"Oh, I see. JJ, will you meet me later tonight? Just to talk?" There was a note of desperation in his voice. There was no hint of the person she had encountered 2 days ago. He had obviously taken her silence as a negative thing. "Please JJ?"

"Ok. I'll meet you after work." Part of her was screaming at her not to go. That this whole thing was a terrible idea but there was the other part that needed to go. She had to hear what he had to say for himself. If only to get some kind of explanation in her own mind as to what had caused such a shift in character.

"Thank you." The relief was clear in his voice.

"I'll call you later." Without giving him a chance to say anymore, she hung up the phone. It was only then that she noticed her hand was shaking as the coffee threatened to spill onto the floor. She put the cup on the table and then sank into the nearest chair. The conversation replaying itself in her mind.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own them

AN: Thans for the reviews, they do encourage me to write more. :o) Is this one within the hour requested? :op

Chapter 12

JJ had been getting more tense about meeting Will as time went on. She couldn't think of anything that he could say that would make it better. When it came down to it, what had happened was done. There was no going back and no changing it. Whenever the thought of what happened flashed in her memory, she could almost feel his arm on her neck. The longer she waited, the worse the feeling of dread got. Hotch came back into the conference room. "Any news from Garcia?"

"Not yet." Reid replied looking up from the file he was reading.

"Ok, take a break for a while. There's nothing more we can do until we get some news back from that list."

The team got up to head out for an early lunch. When she got to the door, Emily looked back to see JJ still sitting at the table. "You not coming Jayj?"

The blonde looked up at her. "I've got an errand I need to run. I'll meet you back here later." Her tone was distant. Emily was worried by the change in the woman. She opened her mouth to question what the errand was when JJ stopped her. "I'm fine Em. I just need to pick up some bits for Henry as his day bag doesn't contain that many clothes." She offered a weak smile, hoping it would be enough for the brunette. She needed to get this talk with Will over and knew that Emily wouldn't want her to go. As much as she wanted to confide in the older woman about where she was going, she knew that Emily would be against it and would try to talk her out of going. Part of JJ wondered if that would be for the best but she buried that thought quickly.

The brunette looked back at the blonde. She knew she had to trust JJ to keep herself safe. She knew that if she tried to be overprotective then she might inadvertently let on to her real feelings towards the younger woman. Something that she was not ready to do, not with the current situation. JJ had enough to occupy her mind and worry about without that being thrown into the mix. Instead she ignored the warning lights flashing in her head and nodded her acceptance to the blonde. "Call me if you need anything?"

"Sure." With that JJ watched as Emily turned and left the precinct. Sighing she opened her phone and made a call she didn't really want to make. She waited as it rang…once…twice…She nearly hung up, her nerves almost getting the better of her. Then just as she was about to give into them he answered.

"Hello?"

"Meet me in 20 minutes at the café on 7th? Bring some of Henry's clothes too." She asked. No pleasantries, just straight to the point.

"I'll be there." With that, she hung up. Swallowing down on the feeling of dread that washed over her she stood from her seat and headed out to find whatever answers she was offered.

* * *

JJ pulled up outside the café. She'd picked it as it was quiet enough to give them some privacy without being isolated. _Not the thought process you should go through when arranging to meet your fiancé JJ_, she thought to herself. Part of her wanted to just drive away again. To call him and say she had been called back to work. She got as far as getting her phone out when he pulled up next to her car. Knowing that she had to go through with it now, she sighed and put her phone away. Silently hoping that the phone would ring and she'd have to head back to work. She opened the door and got out of the SUV.

"Hey JJ." His voice was soft. He almost looked nervous, he kept playing with the citrine ring on his finger. Maybe that feeling of dread had been wrong after all. He seemed like the old Will again. The pair made their way into the café and took a seat at a table near the back to give them some privacy. They ordered when the waitress came over and then a silence sat between them.

"JJ…I know this sounds pathetic and can't ever make up for what happened but I'm sorry." He looked at her like a lost puppy. "I shouldn't have been drinking." He stopped, looking at her and trying to gauge her reaction. "I made the biggest mistakes of my life that night." His head dropped forwards as he broke the eye contact with the blonde.

"Why Will?" Of all the things rushing through her mind, that was all that could come out. It was the one thing she needed to know the answer to. The one thing that no matter how many times she went through the events, she just couldn't figure out.

"I…I wish I could tell you why JJ." His eyes looked back up into hers, pleading with her to try to understand. "I just…there is no excuse for what happened. I know that. I have no right to ask for anything from you after what I did." He stopped, half expecting her to get up and leave when he didn't answer her question. Yet she stayed. Just as he was about to continue, her phone rang.

She shot him an apologetic look and then answered. "Hey Em, what's up?" She watched him as she spoke on the phone. Saw something flash briefly through his eyes but it was gone before she could pin it down. "Ok, I'll be right there." She clicked the phone shut. "I have to go. I'm sorry Will."

She stood to leave but stopped upon feeling his hand on her arm. "Can we finish talking later?"

JJ searched his expression. He looked like the old Will, he was acting like the old Will. Part of JJ wanted to believe that what had happened had been a one off, out of character action that would never happen again. The bigger part still wasn't sure. "I don't know. It depends on work." She watched as he nodded but there was something that flashed across his face again, just for the briefest of moments. He moved his hand off her arm and watched as she left.

* * *

"Jordan Norton." Hotch put a picture on the screen. "He started seeing Mr Connor after his wife left him for someone she worked with. She took out a restraining order against him after he assaulted her."

"Do we have an address?" Morgan asked.

"We sure do my chocolate chip cup cake. Apartment 15, Union Row on 14th Street." Garcia's voice came across the speaker phone.

"Thanks baby girl."

"Let's move." Hotch replied. With that the team all rose to get ready to arrest their unsub.

* * *

They pulled up outside the apartment building. The team divided to ensure there was no escape route. Hotch, Rossi and JJ went up to the front door while Morgan and Emily headed around to the back to cut off any escape routes.

JJ and Rossi stood to the left of the door, Hotch to the right. He knocked on the door. At the moment they only had their suspicions. They needed to take him in for questioning. They certainly didn't have enough for a warrant yet. The door opened and a young looking guy stood there. His sandy brown hair was messy and falling into his eyes. He looked at Hotch, confusion evident on his features.

"Jordan Norton?" Hotch asked.

The guy looked very scared. "Yes."

"We need you to come with us."

"What is this about?"

"The murders of several women."

The colour drained from his face. "You think I did what they were talking about on the news?"

"Sir, we need you to accompany us to the station."

Suddenly his expression changed. "This is because of that stupid bitch." Hotch changed his grip slightly on his gun, preparing himself to have to use it at any moment. Sensing the change in the agents around him, he visibly reigned in his emotions. "Let's go so I can clear my name." He stepped out of the apartment and into the hall, allowing the agents to lead him down to the waiting police car.

* * *

Hotch and Rossi had questioned their suspect for a couple of hours. As time went by, the sinking feeling that this wasn't their unsub grew. Eventually they got confirmation that he wasn't the right guy when his alibi checked out for 3 of the murders.

Since it was late in the day and they were again waiting on any further hits from the patient list Garcia had, Hotch dismissed the team for the night. As they started to head out to the cars, Emily saw JJ walking to one of the other SUVs. She frowned slightly, confused about why JJ was heading to a different vehicle. "Jayj? You not want a lift?" She didn't want to say too much with the rest of the team around. She knew the blonde didn't want anyone to know what had happened to her.

"I need to go and pick up Henry." She watched as the others got into the other vehicles and then added, "Plus I need to go past home and get some clothes." The second the words were out of her mouth, JJ knew she should have kept that part to herself. Emily had a thinly veiled look of panic spreading across her features. Sensing what argument was about to come from the brunette JJ quickly added, "Will won't be there. I'll be over in a couple of hours."

Reluctantly, Emily watched JJ head off offering a silent prayer that Will was going to be out. She considered following her for a split second before realising that JJ wouldn't forgive her for that lack of trust. Sighing she got into her car and headed home.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Still not mine, just playing with them for a while.

AN: Thank you to my lovely reviewers. They are always greatly appreciated. Hope you enjoy it :o)

Chapter 13

Emily pulled up at home after taking a minor detour on her way back. She went to the boot of her car and looked at what was inside. Part of her wondered if this was a good idea. That maybe she should talk to JJ first, just to make sure she wasn't completely off base with her plan. She thought back to the previous night. Seeing how broken the blonde had been, how lost she looked. Then the change that had come over her as she realised that Emily would give her somewhere safe to stay. That was a look the brunette wanted to see more frequently. It was a feeling she wanted the blonde to have permanently. Making her decision to create that feeling for JJ on a permanent basis, she lifted the box out of the car and took it into the house. Knowing that the choice she made last night had been the right one.

* * *

JJ pulled up outside the house, her house. She looked at it and felt detached from the building. It didn't create the same feelings in her as it used to. Pulling up outside after being at work had made the horrors she looked at day after day fade to the back of her mind. Then when Henry had been born, it was also the place she associated with all the happy memories of being with her son. As she looked up at the front once more, she felt nothing but apprehension. She sighed as she walked up to the door.

"Will?" She called as she entered the house. There was no reply. JJ couldn't help but flash back to the last time she had set foot in the house and had found it empty. The bad feeling in the pit of her stomach was growing. She checked the lounge and kitchen but there was no sign of him. Deciding that he had probably gone out as he wouldn't be expecting her to be done with work yet, she opted to just collect some clothes and head back to Emily's. As she thought of the brunette, the negative feelings subsided considerably. She glanced up at a picture on the side of her, Garcia and Emily. It was taken at a crazy angle as they had all been down in the bar drinking for a while before Garcia decided she needed a picture of them all. They later realised that alcohol and photographs didn't really mix. Some of the other pictures Garcia had would serve the tech goddess well should she ever require any extra tools to persuade any member of the team to follow her whims. JJ smiled at the thoughts of her team.

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she headed upstairs and pulled a bag out of the wardrobe. She went into Henry's room first and packed some of his clothes and his favourite teddy. Then headed back into her room and packed up some of her clothing. She looked around the room once more, checking if there was anything else she needed. Deciding that she was done, she picked up the bag and made her way downstairs.

As she closed the door to her house she couldn't help but notice the feeling of relief that washed through her. Getting into her car she started her drive over to pick up Henry and then home. She paused, her hand hovering over the ignition. _Home?_ She rolled the idea around her head for a moment before realising that she had come to think of Emily's as home. All the feelings she used to get when she came back to her own house had now transferred to the thought of going to Emily's. She was shocked at how those feelings had changed so fast. It normally took a lot longer for somewhere to feel like home. The fact that she didn't have any of her own belongings in the brunette's house meant it must be something else making it feel like home. Then she realised what it was. It was Emily. Her home was the place she always felt the safest and most at peace. It was then that she realised that those two feelings were provided for her not by the place but by Emily herself. JJ started the car and went to collect her son before going home. She smiled to herself at that thought.

* * *

JJ looked at the keys in her hand and then back up at the door in front of her. She momentarily considered knocking but realised that Emily wouldn't have given her keys if she didn't want her to use them. She reached up and opened the door.

"Hey Em, we're…" JJ stopped herself from saying the word home. Unsure how the other woman would react to that. "…back." JJ listened for a reply but heard nothing. She had a moment of déjà vu as for the second time that day she found herself walking through an empty house. When she got upstairs she noticed the door at the end of the hall was open. She put the bag she was carrying onto the floor by her bed and gently put the car seat down, checking that Henry was still sleeping.

JJ walked back into the hall and along to the door that had always been closed before. She looked around the corner into the room and stopped in her tracks. She took in the scene in front of her. The room was Emily's study. There were a couple of bookcases with various volumes on them on one side of the room. On the other was a desk. It was the sight in the middle of the floor that had frozen JJ to the spot. She just watched the scene in front of her.

Emily was sitting on the floor, bent over a piece of paper muttering to herself. "After fixing, if needs to make height-adjusting please follow the following indicated drawing, only needs to remove the top, and changes lower for the bottom position. Please choosing the suitable position at random, to match with the ear part." Emily threw the instructions across the room. "English people! What is so hard about writing in English!!" She commented to the empty room.

"Need a hand?" JJ asked, while leaning against the doorframe.

Emily spun around to see the blonde standing in the doorway with an amused look on her face. She stared in shock before regaining control of her faculties. "I speak 8 different languages fluently but those," she pointed at the instructions now lying on the opposite side of the room, "are in no language known to man!"

JJ walked over to pick the instructions up. "What are you building anyway?" She asked. When she didn't get a response, JJ turned and then caught sight of her answer. In the corner of the room was an almost complete crib. The blonde turned to look at the brunette, at a loss for words. Seeing the older woman start to get nervous JJ snapped herself out of her silence. "It's beautiful Em." She walked over to it and lightly ran her hand over the edge.

"I just wanted Henry to have somewhere to sleep properly if you stayed here at all." The brunette was looking at the floor.

"Em, I don't know what to say." The blonde was shocked that Emily would have thought about it, let alone actually gone and built a crib for Henry. "Thank you." It didn't seem enough, those two words just couldn't express what she was feeling right then. She took a couple of steps forward and enveloped the other woman in a hug. She felt Emily's arms wrap around her in return. They stayed that way for an unknown length of time. Both feeling so comfortable where they were that neither wanted to be the first to break the contact.

It was Emily that moved back first. "So what do we do now?" Emily gestured towards the instructions in the blonde's hand. Giving herself the chance to create a small amount of distance between herself and the woman making her heart pound so fast she thought it was at risk of bursting.

JJ looked into brown eyes for a moment longer before casting her attention down to the paper in her hand and trying to translate the instructions they held.


	14. Chapter 14

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them.

AN: I'm really not sure about this chapter so I hope it doesn't suck too much. Once again thanks to my reviewers, your comments are greatly appreciated. :o)

Chapter 14

It had taken the two agents only a few minutes to finish the crib. JJ managing to translate the instructions while Emily carried them out. Emily stood looking at it triumphantly, a big smile across her face. JJ couldn't help but smile at the brunette. She then turned at hearing the sound of Henry waking up. "Just in time it would seem." He blonde walked out of the room to go and tend to her son.

Emily walked over to the crib, running her hand across the edge. She didn't notice when JJ returned.

"Penny for your thoughts." The brunette turned round to see JJ leaning against the doorframe with Henry in her arms.

"It's nothing." She saw the blonde raise one of her eyebrows and knew that wasn't going to be enough. "Just stuff from my past." She watched as JJ walked over and settled Henry into the crib. Emily looked down at him and smiled. She didn't notice that the blonde's attention had shifted from Henry to her face.

JJ looked at Emily. She was trying to read what was going on inside her head. It was at times like this that the blonde wished that the other woman wasn't so good at compartmentalizing. Even after all this time, she knew only small parts about the brunette's past. It was a rare occasion that Emily would share her past. The other day in the car, JJ hadn't expected to be granted that glimpse into the past. To be trusted enough to share in what was obviously a treasured memory. She just wished that it would happen more and that Emily would open herself up and let JJ really know her. "Why do you never talk about your past Em?"

Emily looked up from the sleeping baby to meet intense blue eyes. "Some things are not worth talking about and others…" She paused and took a slow breath, "others are just too painful to talk about." She broke eye contact and looked back down at Henry. "Goodnight little man." She pulled the corner of the blanket down over the foot that had managed to escape as he drifted off to sleep. She then walked out of the room, feeling blue eyes follow her move.

* * *

Emily was sitting on the couch, talking on the phone when JJ entered the lounge. "Yeah, I know. It's just, I don't know." She sighed, her fingers moving up to rub her forehead. She was quiet as she listened to what was said to her. "Look where that got me." Quiet again. "I'm sorry. It just sucks worse than usual at the moment." Another sigh. "It just does." She laughed, not a happy laugh but a bitter one. "She just said the same thing a minute ago."

_She's talking about me? _JJ was shocked at this revelation. Emily had called someone and was talking about her. She felt wrong for listening to the conversation, figuring that if the brunette wanted to talk to her then she would. Obviously whatever was on her mind was something she couldn't or wouldn't talk to the blonde about. There was a bit of a sting that accompanied that thought. JJ actually felt jealous that Emily turned to someone else when she needed to talk. JJ was just about to make herself known when she heard something that confused her.

"I can't tell her. Not now. There's just…It's just not the right time."

JJ's mind was racing with possibilities. There was something Emily wanted to tell her but the time wasn't right? Deciding that she couldn't listen in anymore, feeling like she was invading the other woman's privacy, she walked into the room as casually as she could manage. "Hey Em." As the brunette turned towards her, JJ caught sight of unshed tears in the deep brown eyes now looking up at her like a deer in the headlights.

Emily shook herself mentally. She tuned back into the voice on the other end of the phone and heard what she was being told. "Look, I've got to go. I'll talk to you soon." There was a slight pause. "You too." With that she clicked her phone shut and turned her attention to the blonde standing by the couch. "Sorry, I didn't realize you were there Jayj. Henry sleeping?"

"Just came down, he's sound asleep." JJ sounded slightly distracted. She was running through all the possibilities of what 'you too' could be a response to and who it was that had found a way to get Emily Prentiss to open up and talk about her feelings.

* * *

"Garcia found one other name of interest in the patient records." Hotch continued. "William Bonney. This guy doesn't exist."

"What do you mean doesn't exist?" Morgan asked.

"No social security, driver's license, address…Nothing, Nada, zip. I searched everywhere for this guy and he's a ghost." Garcia added through her webcam connection.

"So how do we find this guy if he doesn't exist?" Reid asked.

"I checked the diary and he has an appointment to see our counselor this afternoon, 2pm."

"This is our only lead. Dave, Prentiss, I want you to go and talk to the counselor this morning. See what he will be willing to tell us about this man. Then we will wait to have a chat with him this afternoon ourselves."

* * *

As Rossi and Prentiss walked into the office, the receptionist looked up and immediately picked up the phone. "Sir, the FBI agents are back." She listened to the response before gesturing for them to go through.

The two agents entered the office and were greeted with the same scene as the previous visit. "Agent Prentiss and Agent…"

"Rossi."

"Agent Rossi. I take it there is something further you require my help with?"

Emily answered. "We need some information on one of your patients, William Bonney."

The counsellor looked up at the 2 agents in front of him. "You know that I can't give you information about one of my patients without a court order."

"If we give you the profile can you tell us if it sounds familiar to this man?" Rossi asked.

The counselor considered this for a moment. "I can do that for you agents. Tell me your profile."

"The man we are looking for is a white male in his late 20's to early 30's. He's in a relationship but his partner is far more successful than him. He is probably seeing you as he feels inferior to this partner and harbours a certain amount of resentment about her job. There would have been a big change in his life about 6 weeks ago that has led to this devolution in his behaviour." Emily presented the profile.

The man looked at them for a moment, considering the information he had just been given. "You should talk to William." That was all he said.

Rossi walked out of the room to call Hotch and let him know that they needed to be ready for 2pm. Emily thanked the man before turning to follow Rossi out. In only 4 hours she hoped that they could close this case. Yet there was something that told her it wasn't going to be that easy.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I just play with their lives.

AN: Thank you for the reviews, they really are hugely appreciated. This one is a bit shorter than I intended but I have to go and teach so my apologies for that. I will try and get another chapter done later.

Chapter 15

The team gathered in the conference room once Rossi and Emily had returned.

"We know that William Bonney will be attending his appointment this afternoon at 2pm. At this time we do not have the evidence to arrest him. We do need to bring him in for questioning. Since we don't have an address for him then we have to make sure that he doesn't have a chance to run." Hotch paused for a moment. "Our best opportunity will be when he arrives for his session."

"We know this guy has a gun so is that not putting the people who work there in danger?" Morgan asked.

"I'm suggesting we put one of us in there undercover as the receptionist. Mr Connor can be safely out of the building as we only need to maintain the initial illusion of everything being normal."

The team looked around at one another. They could all remember all too clearly the last time some of their family went undercover for an assignment and the outcome. "Who?" JJ asked, her voice not quite as strong as it normally was. She already knew what the answer would be before it was given and that gave her a sinking feeling that he couldn't ignore.

"Emily." Hotch didn't want to ask this of Emily, not considering the outcome of the previous undercover case she had been involved in. There was no other option. JJ had been on the TV too much and there was a possibility the unsub would have seen it and recognise her. Looking at the men in his team, Hotch just couldn't picture any of them sitting behind a desk answering the phone. If Hotch couldn't see it then he doubted the unsub would buy it either. So it left Emily. "All you need to do is greet the guy and then send him on through where we will be waiting to take him into custody."

JJ watched Emily for her reaction. All she saw was the calm and collected exterior of the brunette. There was nothing in her expression that gave away how she felt about it. JJ knew she was probably worrying over nothing. Emily was an excellent FBI agent…With an ability for ending up bruised or bloody after a case her subconscious added. There had always been a certain amount of concern for the safety of the brunette that seemed to be greater than that she felt for the others. JJ had always put it down to the fact that her and Emily had become such good friends. This time there was something more to it. The brunette had become like a safety net for the blonde. She knew that no matter what happened, Emily would always be there to catch her and help her get back on track. She'd proved that the past few days. She was the one that had been there when JJ needed to talk. The one that had given JJ a place to stay. Who had even gone so far as to set up a room in her house for Henry. Who had managed to make her smile again after everything that had happened.

The team started to move off to organise themselves for the afternoon. JJ called out to Emily before she left, "Em? You got a minute?"

"Sure Jayj. What's up?" The brunette leant against the edge of the desk near to where JJ was standing.

The blonde looked over at the other woman. The reality of it was that she wanted to tell Emily not to go. There was a bad feeling that kept building as time went on. No matter what she did, she just couldn't shake it. A frown creased her brow as she wondered what had caused the change in her feelings towards the brunette standing in front of her. "I just…" She stopped herself then, not sure how to continue with that sentence.

"Come on Jay, you can talk to me." The brunette was watching the blonde, trying to work out what was going on in her head.

"Like you talk to me." As soon as the words had escaped her lips, JJ wanted to take them back. She saw the look of hurt flash in brown eyes. "Em, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. God, I'm so stupid sometimes." The feeling of a hand on hers stopped JJ's attack on herself. She looked up from the hand resting on hers and let blue eyes meet brown.

"You're right." Emily looked back sadly. "I…There are some things that I should talk to you about." She gave the hand resting in hers a gentle squeeze. "Later?"

The blonde nodded. She looked down at her hand as Emily moved hers away. Suddenly noticing how the warmth that had radiated through her body from that one point of contact had faded. She looked back up as Emily was about to leave the room. "Be careful Em."

The brunette smiled back at her. "Always." With that she left the room to get herself prepared for the afternoon.

* * *

Emily sat herself down at the desk. She placed her gun in the drawer to her left and hoped that she wouldn't need it. She was acutely aware of the fact that she wasn't wearing her Kevlar. Hotch hadn't been happy about it but there was no way to hide it from sight when the unsub would be so close. In the adjoining office were Hotch and Morgan, just separated from her by a single door. In the office across the hallway were Rossi, Reid and JJ. Emily knew she should feel more at ease knowing that her team were so close but there was a nagging feeling that something wasn't right.

She checked the clock again. Five more minutes until 2pm. Emily reached down and placed her fingers on the drawer handle, running through the potential scenario. She heard the door handle begin to turn. Her hand dropped away from the drawer and she turned her attention to the computer.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the door open. She took a deep breath, preparing herself.

She heard the footsteps cross the office floor. Then they came to a stop as he reached the edge of the desk.

"I'll be with you in a second. Mr Bonney is it?" She asked in a casual voice.

"That's right." Emily stopped typing on the keyboard at the voice. Disbelief washed through her. She turned slowly in the chair, her eyes coming level with the hand resting on her desk. She saw a citrine ring on his finger. Her eyes closed for a second as she unintentionally swallowed. She clenched her jaw slightly as her eyes moved up the body in front of her, eventually coming to rest on the face she already knew would be looking down at her. "Hello Emily."

As she looked at the face of Will LaMontagne, Emily felt like the world came crashing down around her.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Still don't own them. I'm just playing but will return them...mainly unharmed.

AN: Huge thanks to all those who reviewed. As always, the reviews motivate me to write faster :o)

Chapter 16

Will smiled at the obviously stunned brunette in front of him. "I didn't realise the FBI pay was so poor that you needed to take a second job as a receptionist."

Emily forced her mind back into action. Even when it stopped just repeating over and over that it was Will, she still had no clue what to say. What do you say when the man you are expecting to be your unsub turns out to be the future husband of your best friend?

"I'm not convinced this is the right career path if your communication skills are this lacking." There was a pause as they just looked at each other, serious for a moment. "Now JJ…" A slow smile spread across his lips. "JJ she doesn't know when to stop talking sometimes."

Those words made the events of a few days previous flash through Emily's mind. He felt her jaw clench involuntarily. The way JJ had been so lost and so broken. The way that spark in her eyes had faded so much. All of it was because of this man standing right there. In front of her. Her gun just a few centimetres to her left. The temptation to solve the problem there and then was almost overwhelming. Whether or not he was the unsub didn't seem so important just then.

"I do this to have a chance to study behaviour patterns in people with a variety of problems and disorders. It all helps to improve my understanding of people and in turn makes me a better profiler." She sat back in the chair, trying to make herself relax.

Will hadn't missed the brunette's jaw clenching at the mention of JJ. He knew that the 2 agents were close to each other. He'd even seen what he could only describe as flirting between them on a few occasions. There was part of him that had always suspected that Emily had wanted more than just a friendship with JJ. "So how is JJ then? I'm assuming she is staying with you." He watched her reaction carefully as he spoke, making sure he kept his voice calm.

Emily felt the anger start to rise inside her again. Her nails digging into her palm as she struggled to maintain her cool exterior. "She's fine." She did not want to discuss the blonde with him. "Shall I let Mr Connor know you are here?"

Will's eyes had dropped to her hand as he noticed it clench on the desk. Hearing her words, he looked back up to her face and fixed her with a smile. A smile that actually made Emily cringe internally. "Sure thing." He walked over to the chairs and took a seat. Watching as she picked the phone up and called into the other room.

"Your 2 o'clock is here. I'll send him in." She looked over at Will and gestured for him to go through. She watched as he got up and walked into the other office, knowing that on the other side of the door Hotch and Morgan were waiting.

Emily knew that the 2 agents would be just as shocked as she had been about who it was walking into the room. Her greater concern was JJ. She just didn't know how the blonde would respond to seeing Will there. It was something Emily didn't want her to find out as they led him from the offices. She pulled her phone out and called JJ's cell.

"Jayj…" Emily found herself at a loss for words again. "There isn't an easy way to say this but…" She paused again to take a breath and prepare for whatever fallout there could be from her next words. "It's Will." She waited for a response, the silence seeming to last forever.

When JJ finally spoke her voice was distant. "Will? As in my Will?"

Emily couldn't help but feel that stab of pain that had become so familiar every time she would her JJ talk about Will like that. "Yeah."

There was silence again. Then the sound of a click as JJ hung up her phone. Emily put her head in her hands trying to figure out some logical explanation for everything. She looked up as she heard the door to the office open. She watched as Hotch came out first, then Will and finally Morgan. Watched as Will looked over at her and smiled. Watched as they walked out of the office. It took her a moment to get her mind and body to start working again. She took her gun back out of the drawer and then followed the path the others had taken minutes before.

As she reached the cars, she scanned for the blonde. A frown creasing her brow as she didn't see her. "Reid, where's JJ?"

The young man turned to look at the brunette. "1st SUV."

Emily nodded and made her way over to the vehicle. When she got there she saw JJ leaning against the side staring into the distance. "Jayj? You ok?"

The blonde continued to stare, "I'm fine."

Emily reached her hand out and placed it onto her shoulder. Wanting to do or say something to make the blonde respond in some way that wasn't so distant and detached.

"I thought it was bad enough that I didn't realise he had the ability to hurt me. Now…Now I missed the fact that he is a serial killer?" The lack of emotion in JJ's voice made it sound so empty.

"We don't know that yet, not for sure." Blue eyes turned to meet brown. What she saw as she looked into those blue eyes broke her heart. No longer were they vibrant and full of life, they were dull and empty. Emily couldn't help but think of the old saying…Eyes are the window to the soul…Right then, looking into the eyes she had frequently imagined getting lost in, she hoped the old saying was wrong. If it was true then the meaning was too gut wrenching to consider.

JJ smiled slightly, a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Maybe." With that she turned and got into the waiting SUV.

Emily considered getting into the same vehicle as the blonde but knew what she needed to do wasn't something the blonde needed to hear. The others all got into different vehicles leaving Emily to travel alone. As she pulled away she dialled a familiar number.

"So did you tell her then? Am I about to get all the juicy gossip?"

"No. There has been a development."

"Come on Em, there will always be something that can get in the way if you let it."

"Garcia…It was Will."

"What was Will? Look my little rainbow enthusiast, I know I'm good but as much as I'd like to be a mind reader, I'm still waiting for the final instalment of that course."

"The unsub or the potential unsub anyway. It was Will."

Silence.

"Garcia I need you to find out everything you can about him."

"Uhhh, yeah. Right. God Em, how is JJ coping?"

Emily flashed back to that look in the blonde's eyes. "She's not really. She's totally distanced herself from it."

There was quiet between the two women again as both considered the possibilities of what the effect could be on JJ. Just as Emily was about to hang up she heard Garcia speak. "She'll need you to bring her back Em. You've been the only one to do it before." Emily frowned slightly as the memories of Tobias Hankel.

"I'll call when I have something." With that Garcia hung up, leaving Emily with her thoughts.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

AN: Thanks to those who have reviewed. The reviews are greatly appreciated. :o)

Chapter 17

The door to the interview room opened and Hotch entered the room. He walked over to the table and sat down across from Will. Hotch took a moment to regard the man sitting in front of him. Will seemed to be totally relaxed. There was no tension evident in his posture. Will met Hotch's eyes without a moments hesitation.

"How might I be able to help Hotch?"

"Do you know any of these women?" Hotch asked as he slid pictures of the victims onto the table in front of Will. He watched as the former detective looked at the pictures in turn.

"A couple look familiar but I can't say I know any of them. Might have seen them in passing somewhere."

"Which ones look familiar?" Hotch watched as Will picked out two of the pictures and handed them over to him.

"Why are you seeing Mr Connor?"

"Well now, that's a bit of a personal question. I'm not sure that I'm happy going into detail about that especially as I know that it's not just me and you listening here." He glanced over to the one way glass. "But in the interests of helping you clear my name then I'll give you a brief summary." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I wanted to see someone to discuss some…issues…that had become apparent in my personal life."

"What issues are they?"

"Moving to a new place, unemployed and well, some things that came up between JJ and myself."

"Care to elaborate on that?"

Hotch watched as Will sat back in the chair, a slight smile appearing. "Now I don't see how that is relevant. I'm sure that JJ doesn't want me to share things about our personal life in here with you." He paused gauging Hotch's reaction. "Why don't you ask her in here so we can check if it's ok or not?"

* * *

On the other side of the glass, Emily had been getting more and more frustrated with the scene playing out a short distance away. The urge to walk in there and show him how it felt to be pinned to a wall by his neck was growing with every second and every word that left his mouth.

* * *

"That's not going to happen Will."

"I would like a chance to talk to her, make sure she is ok and all. It can't be easy to see your future husband dragged down to a police station for questioning by people she thinks of as family. I'd think that would be quite a tough thing to see. Might push some people a little bit too close to the edge."

"JJ is fine. Where were you on these nights?" Hotch asked as he handed Will another sheet of paper.

Will again complied by looking down at the dates and appearing to take an interest. "Well, some of these I can't be certain about as they do go back a while but I'm pretty sure that I was at home for all of them."

"How can you be sure of that if you can't recall what you were doing?"

"I'm pretty sure that they are all dates that you were away from home on a case. That means I would have been at home looking after my son. He's a bit young to be home alone. I'm sure you can check those dates with your files."

* * *

Emily was about to storm out of the observation room and knock some honesty out of that crawfish. She knew that he had left Henry home alone at least once and if what he said was true and the team was away on cases each time then he could have done it before. The only thing that was stopping her from doing just that was the thought of what it could do to JJ. She had promised the blonde that she wouldn't tell anyone about the events of a few nights previous. Before she said anything she needed to talk to JJ. She left the observation room in search of the blonde.

She found her sitting in their conference room. "Jayj?" The blonde looked up, the emptiness in her eyes still present. "I need to ask you something." Emily paused and looked at the younger woman. At that moment, all she wanted to do was to take her away from all of this. Find somewhere safe that she could just hold her and talk about everything. Find a way to re-ignite that spark that was now missing from the blonde. "I need to tell Will we know he left Henry unattended."

As soon as the words left the brunette's mouth, JJ snapped back from her distant place. "No Em. You can't. They can't know. How would I..." The rest of the comment was lost in a sob.

Emily moved across the room and wrapped her arms around the blonde, gently stroking her hair with one hand in an attempt to soothe her. "Just that he left him alone. Nothing else Jay. They won't know anything else. If we can't use that then Hotch is going to let him walk as there isn't any evidence we can hold him with."

The blonde pulled back, her blue eyes meeting brown. "Promise me that nobody will know the rest?" Her voice sounded so small. The usual confidence that was always evident was gone.

"I promise."

JJ continued to study Emily's eyes, searching for any signs that the brunette wouldn't keep her promise. On finding no such signs, she nodded her head. "Tell them."

Emily placed her hand on JJ's trying to pass some comfort to the other woman through the simple gesture. Torn between wanting to stay and help the blonde deal with everything and needing to get back and pass the information to Hotch, she stayed frozen.

"Em, go."

Casting one more look at the other woman, hoping she would still be in the frame of mind to communicate with her later, she stood and left the room.

* * *

"We will check that."

"I'm just wondering, what evidence do you have that I am in any way involved in this? I might have only been a local detective but I've not heard anything that links me to these horrible crimes at all."

Hotch kept his gaze focused on the blue eyes in front of him. He searched them for any signs that what the man said was untrue, any hints that he was hiding something but found nothing.

"If you have nothing to keep me here then I'll be leaving now." Will started to stand when he heard the door. He looked over blue eyes locked with brown.

"Sit down." Her voice was cold. There was barely contained disgust evident to those listening.

He smiled at her and took his seat. Watching quietly as she took a seat next to Hotch. Her eyes never leaving his.

"Emily, so nice of you to join us. How are things going with JJ?" He watched as the muscles in her jaw clenched and her eyes flashed with contempt.

"Your little story has one big problem."

"Oh really? What problem is that?"

"You left Henry alone the other night."

Will's eyes turned an ice blue. "Where did you hear that?"

"Where do you think?"

"Maybe some people are trying to cover their own backs, did you consider that?"

"JJ wouldn't lie to me." Emily ground out through gritted teeth.

"How sure are you of that? How do you know she hasn't lied to you before? She kept our relationship secret for months." He paused watching the brunette's reaction. "If she wants something, she will pursue it and manage to keep it private if she needs to. That is if she wants something that much. If she thinks it is worth it."

Emily tried to ignore the feelings now threatening to engulf her. The parts of her that were ever present telling her that it would never work. That she never stood a chance with the blonde. That JJ just wasn't interested in her. The feeling of her heart threatening to shatter into a million pieces. The feeling of being lost as the darkness of despair overwhelms her senses. Her entire thought process was thrown into turmoil. "She wouldn't lie about this."

"You don't sound so sure now Agent Prentiss." He looked at Hotch again. "Now, unless you have some evidence that warrants my arrest we're done here. If you think of something else, you know where I am." Before he could make a move to stand Hotch's voice stopped him.

"We're not done yet." Hotch stood and left the room without another word.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine.

AN: Apologies for the delay in posting and the short chapter, I had to have my dog put to sleep so my mind has been elsewhere. Thanks to those who have reviewed.

Chapter 18

Will watched as the door closed, leaving him and Emily sitting on opposite sides of the table. He knew that he had managed to rattle the brunette with his earlier comments. It just went to confirm what he had been thinking about her feelings towards his fiancée for a while.

"So Emily…Why is it that you want to keep me here when you have no evidence to make me the unsub?"

Emily met his gaze, burying the emotions that were threatening to overload every part of her. Dropping her voice lower, just in case anyone had re-entered the observation room, "I know what you did to JJ."

Will's eyes flashed with anger. He stood and started pacing in the room. "What was that then Emily?" He stopped and watched her for a moment. He took a couple of steps closer, leaning down at the edge of the table close to where Emily sat. "Taught her some manners?"

Emily shot up out of her chair so fast it fell to the floor. She grabbed Will's shirt in her hands and forced him back against the wall. Their faces so close that each could feel the others breath on their skin. Eyes locked together. Emily vaguely heard the door and voices behind her. All she could see was the face in front of her. All she could hear clearly was her heart pounding and blood racing through her body. She could feel her gun against her hip. The urge to take it out of the holster and solve the problem standing right in front of her was almost overwhelming.

"Stand down Agent Prentiss."

She heard the voice that had sounded so distant becoming clearer. Started to actually hear the words being said.

"Now. Stand down."

Emily could feel her hands shaking. Torn between obeying the order that she could hear Hotch shouting at her and doing what seemed like the only way forward. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Saw Will move his gaze to just over her right shoulder.

"Em, let him go." She looked to her right and saw the one person she didn't expect to see in the room. She opened her mouth to explain, to say something but no words came out. "It's ok. Just let him go." Slowly Emily felt her grip loosening. She felt her arms then drop back to her sides. She felt Will start to move away from her but her attention was fixed on the blue eyes that had come to mean so much to her.

"You in the habit of letting your agents go round attacking innocent people Agent Hotchner?" Will spoke with venom in his voice.

"No, of course not."

"I want…" Will started. "But you're not innocent." Hotch interrupted him before he could get into whatever tirade was about to spill from his lips. "William LaMontagne Junior, you are under arrest for the murders of Sasha James,"

Hotch was cut off as Will rounded on the two women standing behind him. He grabbed JJ, "You…" He saw Emily moving to get her gun and delivered a punch to her face. "You did this." Anything further was cut off as Morgan grabbed his arms, twisting them none too gently behind his back. After he was handcuffed, Morgan pulled him to his feet and led him out of the room. As he passed JJ and Emily he turned to them, "This isn't over."

"Come on." Morgan practically pushed him out of the door.

JJ and Emily watched as they left. Then JJ turned to Emily, letting herself assess the damage done. She placed her hand on the brunettes shoulder to gain the other woman's attention. As Emily turned to face her, JJ saw the injury. Her lip was split and there were the beginnings of a bruise forming. JJ reached her hand up and let her fingers lightly trace the area that was now clearly bright red, being careful not to put too much pressure on the bruise. She followed the lines of it and then her fingers travelled further along to the cut on her lip. She let her fingertip trace over Emily's bottom lip. "Em, I'm so sorry this happened."

Emily didn't really want to speak. Didn't want to lost the contact of the blonde's fingers with her. Ever so softly she spoke, "It wasn't your fault Jayj." She watched as the blonde frowned slightly, knowing she was disagreeing with her even if she didn't say it aloud. "You know I have a habit of collecting cuts and bruises from unsubs." She smiled lightly hoping the blonde would see she was alright.

JJ looked up into Emily's brown eyes. For perhaps the first time, what she saw was totally unguarded. All the walls that Emily kept up that served to hide a lot of her feelings were gone. As she looked into those brown eyes she saw emotions that she never expected to see. She wanted to say something, to ask the brunette about what it all meant but right then, in that moment, she didn't want to do anything that could risk putting those walls back up.

"I brought you an ice pack." Reid walked in with the offering.

At the voice, Emily's eyes broke their connection with JJ's, looking over to see who it was. "Thanks Reid." She took the ice pack and placed it against her face.

Emily looked back to JJ. As their eyes met, JJ saw that all the walls were back. The mask was firmly in place again. The blonde felt that connection they had shared moments before fading away and she felt real disappointment along with it.

"Hotch says we are good to go as soon as we have packed up." Reid answered as he left. The two women followed him out of the room. Both quiet as they contemplated what had just happened and what was still to come.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: They are not mine.

AN: Thank you to all who reviewed and your kind words.

Chapter 19

It hadn't taken long for the team to box up the papers from their make shift conference room. Everyone had been very quiet while they set about their task. None of them really knowing how to approach the subject with JJ or how she would react to it once the reality had sunk in. Hotch had given the team the next few days off to give them all a chance to process what had happened and to unwind as best they could. It was not a situation they expected to be in with one of their team mates.

JJ went back to Emily's house, not wanting to return back to her own house even with Will in custody. There was just something comforting about being in the presence of the brunette. It was a feeling that JJ had always had when around Emily. She knew that the older woman would do everything in her power to keep her safe. That was what kept JJ grounded throughout the whole ordeal with Will. She knew that when she needed her, the brunette would be there to make sure she was ok.

The two agents were sitting on the couch, JJ had been flicking through the channels on the TV trying to find something interesting.

"Jayj, can I ask you something?" The brunette had turned to look at the blonde, trying to gauge her reaction to talking.

"Sure."

"What did they find?" Emily watched as JJ stiffened slightly. She started to doubt if she should have asked the question.

The blonde sighed. "Turns out he liked to keep recordings. There was a box of them in the back of Henry's closet." JJ couldn't help but feel repulsed by the thought of such horrible things kept in her son's room.

"I'm sorry Jay. Are you ok?" Emily knew that it was a bit of a silly question to ask but she needed to know what was going on with the blonde.

JJ was quiet as she considered the question. She knew that she shouldn't be ok. She knew that she should feel a lot more than she did. She did feel betrayed. She had trusted Will with so much. She'd been willing to spend her life with him. Now she had started to question the reasons for this. She wasn't convinced it was because she was completely in love with him. There was the part of her that reminded her of the expectations her family had. She remembered the phone call to her parents to tell them she was pregnant. She remembered the first question they asked being when she was going to get married. How in that one moment, it suddenly seemed like everything that had once been a possibility was now being taken from her for a life that she was expected to live. She took a deep breath before responding. "I'm ok. Just shocked I guess." A silence fell between the two women again. A frown crinkled JJ'd brow, "Should I have seen it Em?" Her voice cracked slightly as she spoke.

Emily realised in that moment that JJ felt partly responsible for what had happened. That she was somehow to blame for not seeing what Will was doing. "No. You're not responsible for this Jennifer. Only one person is responsible and that is him." Emily looked into blue eyes, searching for the recognition that what she said was true. That the blonde was not going to carry the guilt of not knowing something that was so well hidden a team of profilers hadn't picked up on it. "He had us all fooled."

"But I lived with him. Had a son with him. Surely there was something I should have seen or sensed?" Her tone was pleading. She needed Emily to make the guilt stop.

"There aren't clear signs all the time. He was an expert at hiding it. There was nothing you could have picked up on. He only did it when you were away so there was no way to know. It's not your fault and nobody thinks that."

With those words, the tears started falling. Emily wrapped the blonde in her arms. Trying to provide some form of comfort. For the second time that week, she just held her as the blonde cried. She kept holding her until she had fallen asleep through sheer exhaustion from the past few days.

* * *

JJ woke to the smell of cooking. It took her a while to remember where she was and why she was asleep on the couch. She lifted the blanket off and made her way into the kitchen. As she got there, she stopped and couldn't help but smile at the sight. Emily was standing just in front of a laughing Henry in his high chair. As JJ watched she understood his expression.

"Come on little man. This is real gourmet cuisine in a jar." She turned the label to read it. "Cheesy pasta with ham. Yummy." She moved the spoon near his mouth and managed to get a cheesy pasta smear across his left cheek as he turned his head at the last second. "How about I try it? Look, yummy." Emily then put the spoon in her mouth. As soon as she got it on her tongue her smile vanished and she grabbed the cloth she had been using the clean up all the missed mouthfuls and promptly spat it out. "Oh man…I take it back. That is just vile. Reminds me of my cooking before Josef taught me about what the word edible meant!" She looked at the offending jar again. "Do they all taste that bad?" She looked at Henry hoping for a response and got a giggle back. "I'll take that as a yes."

Emily got up and looked through the cupboard with the different baby foods in. "Lets try this one. Last one and then we can have a desert." She lifted the jar down and opened it. She gave it a reluctant sniff. "Smells ok." She then got some on the spoon and tried again. "Ok Henry…Here comes the aeroplane…neeeeaaaaawwww."

JJ couldn't stop herself from laughing at the aeroplane noise that Emily made. She saw the brunette turn round suddenly to see her standing there, a blush spreading up her face. The blonde smiled. "Sorry Em but that was just too cute." The brunette blushed a deeper shade of red.

"Yeah, well, it was a last resort."

"It worked too." JJ tipped her head towards her son who was sitting there with the spoon tucked in his mouth. Emily turned and saw that she had been successful. Her embarrassment forgotten as a smile spread across her lips in triumph.

"This stuff tastes gross by the way. I can't blame him for not wanting to eat it." Emily commented as she continued feeding him the rest of the jar.

"Never eat it. You just pretend to eat it."

"Now you tell me!" She couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "At least our dinner will be ready soon and it tastes a hell of a lot better than that."

JJ was content watching as Emily finished Henry's dinner with him and then cleaned him up a bit. "How did he get it in his right ear?" She asked as she found a stash of the cheesy pasta.

"I gave up asking those questions a while ago. He's a nightmare for getting food everywhere. I dread to think what will happen when he has a bowl for the first time."

"Maybe we should get a tarp down before that." Emily commented without realising what she had said. The blonde picked up on it though. She couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought of having Emily there to help her with Henry for the foreseeable future. "And he's done. Good as new." She picked the baby up and gave his belly a tickle. "Want to go see your mommy?" She took his gurgling giggle as a yes and handed him to JJ. "Dinner will be done in about 10 minutes."

JJ nodded. "Shall we go and read a story for a while?" JJ turned to take Henry into the other room for a story. Just as she was about to leave the doorway she turned. "Thanks for this Em. It means the world to me." She shot the brunette a smile that Emily hadn't seen for a long time. With that she turned and headed out to find a suitable story, knowing that it wouldn't live up to Garcia's modern day tales but at least Henry couldn't talk to tell her that yet.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I still don't own them but I do keep wishing.

AN: Thanks again to all my reviewers. They are much appreciated. I hope you enjoy this chapter. :o)

Chapter 20

JJ had left Henry playing when Emily had called through to let her know dinner was ready. As the blonde sat down she looked at the meal Emily had created. "Wow Em, I never knew you could cook. I don't need to check my health insurance is up to date first do I?" She winked at the brunette to let her know she was joking.

"I think you'll be ok." Emily couldn't help but smile back at the blonde.

As JJ took the first bite of her meal she couldn't suppress the slight moan that escaped her lips. "Oh. My. God. Em, this is amazing! Where did you learn how to cook?"

Emily blushed slightly at the compliment from the blonde agent and at the other images the blonde's appreciative noise had stirred. She cleared her throat slightly before explaining. "Growing up as an embassy kid wasn't all bad. When mother was stationed in Europe then she hired this fantastic chef. I spent a lot of my time in the kitchens and he taught me a lot."

The two women settled into an easy conversation. The thoughts of the earlier events put aside for the time being. JJ didn't want to think about the events that had transpired any more than she had for the moment. She was just enjoying the relaxed feeling she got from being in the company of the brunette. Enjoying how easily conversation would flow between them.

As they cleared the dishes away, JJ decided to ask a question that had been playing on her mind for a long while. "Em, why aren't you seeing someone?" She noticed the brunette momentarily stop mid-movement, pausing briefly, before continuing to put the plates into the cupboard.

"When would I find the time to meet someone?" Emily tried to bring the conversation to an end quickly. Not trusting herself to keep her true reasons hidden from the blonde. Looking over at JJ she saw the raised eyebrow and the arms crossed over her chest and knew that her answer just wasn't going to cut it. "It's a long story."

"I've got time." JJ looked at the frown that creased the brunette's brow. It was in that moment that the blonde decided that if Emily wasn't going to talk to her, perhaps the best way to help would be to ask someone who the brunette had obviously confided in for a snippet of information. "I'm going to put Henry up to bed." JJ turned and headed out of the room to put her son in bed and to make a quick phone call.

* * *

"Hey JJ. How are you doing sweetie?"

"I'm ok Garcia. Do I not warrant a typical Garcia greeting these days?" JJ couldn't help the smile that appeared at the recollection of the many zany ways in which the analyst would normally answer her phone.

"Sorry honey, I was just worried when I saw your name pop up on my caller ID after what had happened today and all." She could hear the concern in her friends voice.

"I'm doing ok. Emily has been here to listen."

JJ was certain she could hear the blonde grinning as she spoke. "How is our Em doing?"

"She's ok too. She looked after Henry for me while I slept earlier. You should have seen it. It was the cutest sight watching her try to feed him." JJ caught herself as she started to ramble about the brunette and felt herself blush slightly. She looked down at Henry who was nearly asleep and couldn't suppress the smile that started to form. "Garcia, there's something I wanted to ask you…It's about Em."

There was a moment of quiet on the phone. "Ok JJ, ask away but you know some things are not my place to share." JJ felt a pang of jealousy that there were things that Garcia knew about the brunette that she didn't.

"Why isn't Em seeing someone?" It was to the point and JJ hoped that Garcia would shed some light onto the situation as Emily had been so vague.

"I think you need to ask her JJ." There was another moment of silence on the phone. "Why do you want to know anyway?" Garcia's tone wasn't accusing, it was genuine interest.

JJ opened her mouth to reply and then closed it again. Why did she want to know so badly? It was something that had crossed her mind from time to time but she had never wanted to pursue it, to find out why she was so interested in the answer. Until now, she had chosen to ignore the desire to press the brunette for answers about questions like these. In the past few days something had changed, she just didn't know what that something was. "I just…I don't know. I just do." She mentally slapped herself for giving that answer.

"Can I ask you a question JJ?" Garcia's tone was decidedly serious this time.

"Sure."

"Were you really happy with Will…I mean before all this happened, were you totally happy?"

The question had again rendered the blonde speechless for a moment. It was another question that had popped into her own head on several occasions in the course of their relationship but she had always hidden it away. What was it Emily had called it? Compartmentalising. She'd been doing that with some of the questions she didn't really want to answer or couldn't answer at the time. Now she asked herself that question and was willing to listen for the honest answer. "No." She realised it then. She hadn't ever been totally happy with Will. She had been flattered that he had pursued her and then somehow ended up in a relationship with him. She still wasn't sure how that had really come about. Then the pregnancy and the rest was just the way things had to be, her parents had made sure she knew that. She realised in that moment that for a long time it had all been because that was what others expected of her. You got pregnant and you marry the guy. That was the short version of the conversation she'd had with her mom on the subject.

"What would make you happy then JJ? I'm talking about truly happy." Garcia needed to know the answer to this question. She knew what she thought would make the younger blonde happy but it wasn't her place to say. It never had been. So she had always stayed quiet, just being there for support when needed.

"I don't know Garcia. How do you even begin to answer that question?" The blonde frowned.

"Just answer it honestly. As soon as something pops into your head, tell me. Don't think about it." JJ was quiet and started thinking about what would make her happy. "Oi…I said no thinking. Just talk." JJ smiled at that.

"Ok…Someone who listens to me, who won't judge me for what I say or do. Someone who is there for me either to let me cry on their shoulder or to cheer me up and to know which one to do when. Someone who will understand my job and not make me talk about it, unless I need to. Someone who will be there for Henry…Either to help me with him or to look after him if anything happened to me. Someone who I feel relaxed with and I'm free to be myself. Someone who will love me for me and not want me to change. Someone who I can trust completely." JJ paused in her talking. "I erm, think that's it."

Garcia was quiet for a moment, thinking over what the younger blonde had said. "JJ, you already know someone who fits that description. I'm just not sure that you are ready to see it."

JJ frowned. She ran through the men in her life and couldn't work out who would fit that description perfectly. Yes, they all had some traits from her list but nobody had them all. Reid never fully understood human emotions and so wouldn't ever fulfil her need of someone to understand her without explaining it all to him at length. Hotch would never press her to talk about things if she clammed up, even if that was what she needed. She'd always question whether Morgan would be able to stay faithful to one person. Rossi…Rossi was old enough to be her dad. She was at a loss to what Garcia was talking about. "Who do you mean?"

"You have to figure that one out for yourself hun. I think on some level you know but just won't let yourself see it." Garcia was quiet for a moment as she let JJ think about what she said. "And as for Emily not seeing anyone…You really have to talk to her about it."

"I tried and she won't tell me about that part of her life." There was a hint or hurt to the blonde's voice as she admitted that the brunette wouldn't share something with her that was so important.

"You just have to be patient JJ. It'll be worth it in the end." JJ could swear that Garcia was smiling as she spoke. She could practically see the grin on her friends face. "Anyway, I have to dash and you need to stop hiding out in Henry's room and talking to me."

"How did you…" JJ started but Garcia interrupted with the answer. "Em texted me. Go and have a good evening." With that the blonde heard the phone click shut. She looked down at her now sleeping son and smiled. He looked so peaceful when he slept. As the memories of what had been said between the two friends returned, JJ sighed before setting herself the personal mission to discover why Emily Prentiss hadn't been snapped up by someone long ago.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I still don't own any of them.

AN: This one just seemed to keep going. Thanks again to all those who reviewed. It is much appreciated as always. :o)

Chapter 21

When JJ came back downstairs she found Emily in the lounge standing over by her bookcase.

"You ok Em?" The blonde asked when the brunette stayed in her position, apparently not hearing the blonde return. She watched as Emily placed something back on the shelf before turning around.

"I'm fine." The tone of her voice didn't lead JJ to believe that was the truth. She saw JJ pat the seat next to her on the couch and made the short journey across the room to sit next to the blonde. She sighed as she sat back. "What do you fancy doing tonight then Jayj?" She turned her head to look at the woman sitting next to her.

JJ met her gaze and couldn't help but notice that there was something missing from what she saw. The usual spark that her chocolate eyes held was considerably faded. "Talking?" The blonde watched for a reaction from the other woman. Hoping that her quest for further knowledge about the brunette wouldn't cause Emily to pull away from her. She'd come to rely upon the other woman for her support and comfort over the past few years. She knew that no matter what it was, she could depend upon Emily to be there and help her through it. She just hoped that the brunette felt the same way and would let her in on what was obviously bothering her.

Emily nodded and glanced back at her phone remembering the text Garcia had sent a few minutes ago. _Just let her in. _Very simple. Very short. Emily knew exactly what Garcia meant. It had been the topic of many conversations between the two women. Emily always refusing to take down her walls and share parts of herself with the one person who she really wanted to know her and Garcia trying to get her to see sense and try. Emily still had her concerns about telling the blonde sitting next to her about herself and her past. There were things she hadn't forgiven herself for and so she never expected that the blonde would forgive those actions either. Then there was the risk of losing JJ from her life. That was the thought that always made her stop when she came close to sharing with the blonde. She didn't know how JJ would react to certain revelations about her and so there was that reluctance to find out. She'd rather have the blonde as a friend who perhaps didn't know everything about her than risk having JJ turn from her in disgust. It didn't matter how many times Garcia told her that would never happen, the tiny bit of doubt in her own mind was enough to keep her lips sealed. Tonight though, she was tired of keeping things secret. She'd imagined what could have happened if JJ hadn't trusted her enough to tell her about Will. How the ending to that part of their lives might have been so different. If the blonde could trust her then surely she could trust the blonde.

"What do you want to know?" With that one sentence she gave JJ permission to know her. To find out all about her past and what made her the Emily Prentiss she was today.

JJ considered what she wanted to know. There were so many questions buzzing through her mind at that time. She was also aware of the possibility that asking the wring question might lead to the brunette claming up again. So she decided to start off with a simple question. "What were you looking at when I came in?"

Emily looked back over to the bookcase and JJ followed her gaze. "A picture." She looked over at the blonde, trying to work out what her reaction was going to be to what came next. As she looked into blue eyes she saw understanding and caring. She stood up and walked over to the bookcase, taking the photo frame in her hand, before returning to the couch. She looked down at the picture before handing it to JJ.

JJ took the picture and looked down at a much younger Emily and another young woman. It was obvious the picture had been taken without them knowing, catching the two women unaware. Emily was standing behind the other woman with her arms wrapped around her waist. They were in front of a lake that reflected the mountains, making it appear as if there were two mountain ranges. Both women were smiling. JJ couldn't help but notice how happy and carefree they both seemed. She felt something like jealousy stir within her while looking at the picture but didn't know why. "Who is she Em?"

Emily hadn't taken her gaze off the picture. "Nicole." She said simply as if that would explain everything. She glanced up to meet blue eyes and knew she had to explain further. "She was my first love." She kept looking into blue eyes gauging the response to this revelation. She saw the moment that the blonde registered what the implication of her statement had been and had waited for her to move away or break their connection. It never came. The blue eyes in front of her never wavered. They held her gaze and still showed the same understanding and caring they had done at the start.

JJ smiled at her lightly. "Thank you."

"For?" Emily furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Trusting me enough to tell me." She reached her hand out and placed it over the brunette's. Giving her the contact that she knew the other woman needed to know that everything was going to be ok. She watched as relief visibly coursed through the older woman. "So what happened?"

"She was the daughter of my mother's chef, Josef. She came to live with him when her mom died and we became best friends almost straight away. We grew up together really." She smiled at the memories of the mischief they had gotten into around the embassy when younger. "As we got older, my feelings started to change. It was really confusing to start with especially after what happened in Italy but I worked out what I was feeling was so much more than just friendship." She paused to look at JJ, trying to read what was going on inside the blonde's head. "I eventually told her what I felt and figured I'd lose her. Turns out I wasn't very good at profiling back then." Emily couldn't help but laugh at the memory.

_Flashback…_

_That was it. She'd just told her everything she had been thinking and feeling and sat waiting for the impending slap or verbal assault. Her eyes were closed as she waited for her best friend to turn away in revulsion at her admission. It felt like an eternity had passed and then se felt something totally unexpected. She felt a hand on her cheek, gently cradling it while the thumb stroked over her cheek to gently wipe away the tear that had fallen. Opening her eyes Emily wasn't met by a look she expected. When she looked into Nicole's eyes she saw tears and she saw love. _

"_I'm glad it's not just me Em." With that she leaned in and pressed her lips lightly to Emily's. _

"We were together for 3 years. We were both young but it just felt so right." She looked into JJ's eyes to see if she understood. "Things were great but then it was time to go to college." Emily's eyes became distant as she remembered that time in her life. "Mother wanted me to go to college back in the States and I couldn't argue as it was her money paying for it. So I left Europe and came here. We decided that we could do a long distance relationship. To start with things were going fine. We spoke all the time and wrote the longest letters." Emily smiled at the memory. "Then things changed." Her face darkened, eyes clearly showing the pain that this part of her memory brought. "She wrote me a letter telling me that she had cheated on me and found someone else. Told me not to call or write anymore."

"Em, I'm so sorry." JJ could see the hurt that this memory still caused the brunette.

"I tried to call and write anyway but never got a reply. I was heartbroken. It took me well over a year to come to terms with it." She sighed deeply. "I finished college and then found myself unsure what to do with my life. I was just doing odd jobs and thinking about what to do next. Then I came home one day and everything came crashing down again."

_Flashback..._

_Emily walked over to her mail box and when she opened it there was an envelope with handwriting she recognised instantly. A small frown creased her brow as she knew something must be wrong since it wasn't Christmas or her birthday. She took the envelope up to her apartment, deciding that opening it in privacy was best. She sat on her couch and then opened the envelope. Inside was a letter and a plane ticket. _

_**My Dearest Emily,**_

_**I know that just opening this letter has already started your mind turning. Before I go on I just want to apologise for not saying something to you sooner. I hope you will understand my reasons and grant me forgiveness for my part in all of this. I really don't know how to say this without starting at the beginning. I'm sorry that this has to be something you read and not something that I can tell you in person. **_

_**I'm sorry Emily but what you have believed for the past 4 years has been a lie. I know Nicole wrote to you and broke your heart by telling you she had cheated on you and that she no longer was in love with you. At the time I tried to tell her that she should be honest with you but she had her reasons and as my daughter, I had to support her. For that I am truly sorry. The truth of the matter is that on her way back from campus one night she was attacked and raped. She was badly beaten but the man that did this was a sick and twisted individual. I later found out this was not the first time such a crime had been committed. His final act was to stab her through the chest with an old knife.**__**By some miracle, another student passed and saw her calling for an ambulance. When she got to the hospital they treated her for all her injuries. However, she developed an infection in her heart a few days later and became very ill. I had pleaded with her to let me call you and tell you what was going on but she didn't want you to know. She felt she had let you down. That she should have fought harder or not been walking alone at night. **_

_**The infection was cleared but the damage done to her heart was irreversible. The only option for her in the long term was to have a heart transplant. She knew how unlikely the chances of finding a heart were and she came to accept that she would not have a long life. I know she never wanted you to be unhappy and in her mind the thing that would make you unhappiest for longest was watching her die. She never wanted to put you through that. Never wanted you to sit by her bedside and watch as she got worse. She knew you would have given up on your hopes and dreams and dropped everything to come back here. In her mind, you thinking she cheated would only hurt for a short time and then you could move on. **_

_**For the past 4 years she has been fighting to stay alive. Hoping that one day she might get that call that they have a heart for her but it never came. She has run out of treatment options now and the doctors believe she only has a week left. I know that I have kept so much secret from you for so long but please try to understand I was only doing what Nicole wanted. Now though, I cannot stand by and not give you the chance to say goodbye. I know how much everything hurt 4 years ago and I can only imagine what you are feeling now. Nicole doesn't know I have written to you so if you decide you do not want to come then I will understand. **_

_**I am so sorry for not being honest with you my Emily. It will be my one greatest regret in my life. If you do decide to come then I will arrange to meet you at the airport. **_

_**Josef**_

_Emily sat on the couch with tears running down her cheeks. Her whole world for the past 4 years suddenly tipped upside down. All of the emotions that had been accepted, reconciled and compartmentalised came rushing back to the surface. Looking down at the plane ticket she still held she knew what she was going to do._

JJ felt a tear run down her cheek at Emily's story. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Emily to find that out.

"Did you go?" She asked although she knew the answer already.

"Yeah. I got on a plane the next morning and flew back to Austria. I really never thought I would be going back there."

_Flashback…_

_Josef was waiting at the arrivals lounge. Emily spotted him straight away. She took the time while walking over to him to look at him, to see how he had changed over the past four years. He seemed so much older and the sadness and pain he must be feeling over everything radiated from him. Emily walked over and hugged him. _

"_Thank you for coming Emily. I'm so sorry for everything." Emily looked into his eyes, the same shade of blue as Nicole's and saw the regret and something she could only describe as resignation that she would never forgive him._

"_I understand Papa. I forgive you." At those few words and the term of endearment that she had always used growing up, a weight was visibly lifted from his shoulders. The thought of losing his daughter and the woman he thought of as a daughter had been crushing him. Now he knew he would always have Emily. _

"You were really close to him." JJ had noticed the fondness in her tone of voice as Emily spoke of Josef. A tone that was never there when talking about her parents.

"Yeah, he was more like a parent to me when I was growing up than my own parents were. He knew me from when I was 10 and my mother was stationed in Austria. I spent all my time in the kitchen with him."

"Is that where you learnt how to cook that amazing food?" A smile spread across JJ's face as she remembered the delicious meal Emily had cooked for her.

"He taught me everything I know. Without him, I would have been left eating food that tasted a lot like Henry's!" Emily couldn't help but smile back at the blonde. Her eyes meeting beautiful blue ones for a moment. Snapping herself out of the gaze she held with JJ, Emily continued her story. "I really didn't know what to expect when I got to the house. It has been four years since I had seen her and she thought I hated her for what she had claimed to do."

_Flashback..._

_Josef walked into the house and then came to a stop. "I'm going to talk to her if you give me a moment." Emily placed her bag on the floor and then waited as she watched Josef walk into one of the bedrooms. While she waited, she looked around the room. There were pictures she recognised from when they were younger, of trips they had gone on together when her parents had been too busy to spend time with her. One picture caught her eye...It was taken not long before Emily had left for college. The three of them had gone up in the mountains for the day. Spending some time as a family before doing what she knew would be one of the hardest things in her life. They had set the camera up on the timer and just before the picture was taken Emily had slipped. So the picture ended up with Nicole trying to hold her up as she did the splits and with all three of them laughing. _

_"It was a great day" Emily turned at the voice just behind her to see Josef had come out. _

_"It was."_

_"You can go and see her if you are ready."_

_Emily nodded and gave one last look at the picture on the wall before walking over to the door. As she got there she took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself as best she could. As she walked in what she saw made her stop in her tracks. Lying in the bed looking out of the window was Nicole but she looked so different to how she had last time. Her skin was pale and her lips had a slight blue tint to them, there were dark bags under her eyes making her eyes look sunken. The vibrant spirit that used to surround her was gone. Once again she felt her heart break. "Hey" It was all she could manage around the lump that had formed in her throat. _

_Nicole turned her eyes away from the window to look at her visitor. "Emily?" Confusion was evident on her face as she stared at the one person she never thought she would see again. "Why are you...How did...What are you doing here?" _

_Emily realised then that Josef hadn't told her who her visitor was. "I came to see you." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Papa wrote to me and told me what had happened. Told me everything." Emily watched as blue eyes filled with tears and moved away from her gaze, no longer able to look at the person she had tried to protect from knowing the truth. Emily took the few steps across the room to close the distance between them. As she reached the edge of the bed she knelt down and took Nicole's hand in hers. "It wasn't your fault Nic. I understand why you didn't tell me." Emily paused and watched as Nicole's eyes moved to look at their entwined hands. "I forgive you." Emily said the words that she knew Nicole had longed to hear. She watched as tears fell from blue eyes as the burden that had been carried for four long years was lifted. Then she moved forward to hold her as she cried. Gently rubbing her back and just letting her cry._

"You really loved her didn't you?" JJ had been listening to every word Emily had said. Noticing how her finger had lightly traced the lines of Nicole's face on the picture still lying on her lap. She saw the glistening of chocolate eyes as tears built and threatened to fall.

"More than anything else in my life then." JJ noticed the addition of the word then but decided not to question it at the moment. She couldn't help but get that mixture of hope that Emily was talking about her and panic that Emily meant someone else.

Emily sighed deeply, her eyes still on the picture. "Em, you know you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Her eyes moved to meet JJ's then. Seeing the sincerity present in them she continued. "I know Jayj. It's been a long time since I have talked about this but I want to tell you. I want you to know..." Emily trailed off in her sentence. For a moment JJ considered asking what Emily wanted her to know but she didn't want to push the other woman into telling her anything unless she was ready. She never wanted any regrets between them. So JJ just nodded and waited for Emily to continue with her story.

_Flashback..._

_Emily had spent the past three days at the house. Most of it with Nicole, talking about her life since she had started college and where she had travelled to. Nicole had listened to her stories and had started to smile again at some of the things Emily had got involved in. Josef couldn't help the relief that he felt seeing how much happier his daughter was now Emily was there and knowing that his actions hadn't caused harm. He had just come to offer the girls a drink and some lunch and overheard their conversation._

_"Ok, ok...I can beat that. It was my freshman year and I was living in dorms on campus. We all had ensuite bathrooms in this block. I'd got up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet but I was still half asleep. Next thing I know I hear a click behind me. It's then that I wake up a bit more and realise I'm standing in the corridor! What makes it worse is that I'm just in my underwear as it was a really hot night!"_

_Nicole was laughing at the story. The image of Emily standing in the corridor in her underwear was priceless. "I wish I had seen that Em. How did you get back in?"_

_"I had to walk down to the senior resident and ask them to let me back in. It was so embarrassing!" _

_Josef couldn't help but join in with the laughter. "Oh Emily, you always did have a talent for getting into trouble. Did you girls want anything to eat or drink?"_

_"Yes please." They both answered through their laughter. Josef nodded and left them to their conversations._

_"Em...Can you do something for me?" Nicole asked turning suddenly serious. Emily stopped laughing, sensing the change in her mood._

_"What?"_

_"Can we go back to the cabin we went to before..." She trailed off, not wanting to remember any bad things. _

_Emily was about to say that she didn't think they could when she looked into Nicole's eyes. It was in that moment that she knew why Nicole wanted to go there. She knew that it was the place she wanted to spend her last days. Looking into those blue eyes that had got her to do so many things in the past, she couldn't resist them now. "Ok."_

"Oh Em...I can just see you getting locked out. Make sure you don't do that when Garcia is around or you know it'll be on Youtube by the end of the night!" JJ couldn't resist the temptation to joke around with the brunette. She'd have to make a note to tell Garcia to keep an eye on the hotel CCTV feeds. "Did you go to the cabin?"

"We did. It took some organising but between Josef and myself we managed it. We were there for 3 days."

_Flashback…_

"_Em? Can you stay awake with me tonight? I want to watch the sunrise in the morning." _

_Emily had been watching as over the past 2 days Nicole had been getting progressively weaker. She spent more and more time asleep and when she was awake, it was obvious that even basic things were becoming more of a struggle. _

"_Of course." _

_The two girls stayed awake all night, talking about the past and very mundane things. Emily was sitting on the bed with Nicole leaning back against her. They were both watching as the sky started to get lighter. "Em, I want you to promise me something."_

_Emily could sense what was about to be said. "Nic, don't make me promise something that I might not be able to keep."_

"_Em, this is something very important to me. I need to know this to be able to…" Emily put her finger on Nicole's lips to stop her. The next words were ones she didn't want to hear. She wasn't ready to hear them, not yet. Deep down she knew that she had to promise, how could she not. She slowly moved her finger away and very quietly said "ok."_

"_I want you to promise me that you won't shut yourself off from the world and everyone in it. I want you to give someone your heart again. You really are too amazing and have too much to offer someone to not share your heart and your life with someone again. It was the greatest gift I ever received and I want someone else to receive it too. I want you to be happy again. So promise me, one day when you find someone that you can give your heart to and that will keep it safe, promise me you will try?" _

_Emily swallowed the lump down in her throat. "I promise Nic."_

"_Thank you Em. If you don't I'm coming back to haunt you and sing Christmas carols all year long." She smiled knowing that one day Emily would make good on her promise. If there was one thing that could always be counted on, it was Emily's promises. _

_They sat quietly, Emily's arms wrapped around her waist and they watched the sun rise over the mountains. Emily felt her breathing slowing and then her breathing stopped and the body in her arms was still. Emily felt her tears begin to fall. _

Emily felt a tear roll down her cheek as she finished re-telling one of the hardest moments of her life. She felt JJ's thumb on her cheek, gently wiping her tear away. She looked up into JJ's blue eyes and saw the sadness there. JJ understood. It was her gift, the ability to empathise with people. Emily knew she didn't have to say more, didn't have to explain it to the blonde. Glancing at her watch, Emily was startled by the time. "Geez Jayj, it's late. I've been rambling on for hours when we should have been sleeping. We've got work in 5 hours."

JJ didn't want to sleep yet. She wanted to ask a question that was playing on her mind. She knew if she went to bed now then it would be a long night of tossing and turning due to her mind racing around. "It's ok Em, one question before we turn in?"

"Go for it."

"Did you keep your promise?" JJ wasn't sure why she felt this overwhelming desire to know the answer to this question but she just knew she had to get that answer.

"Kind of." One corner of Emily's mouth turned up into a half smile. Seeing the slight frown on JJ's face she decided she'd better elaborate. "Someone else has my heart but they don't know it." She sighed. "She only sees me as a friend."

JJ wanted to ask who this mystery girl was but it was clear Emily had shared all she wanted to for the night. So the two women headed to bed to hopefully have a few hours sleep.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I still don't own them.

AN: Many thanks to those who left reviews and sent PMs. They are very much appreciated. Happy reading :o)

Chapter 22

"I have no idea how you don't drink coffee doing this job." JJ commented as she handed Garcia a mug of the herbal tea that was flavour of the month. She sank down into the chair next to the technical analyst.

Garcia just smiled and looked at her friend. "Just because you drink enough coffee to keep a small plantation in business doesn't mean we all rely on caffeine to keep us alert and perky. Some of us actually try that thing called sleep." Garcia raised an eyebrow at the younger woman.

JJ shifted slightly in her chair. "Yeah, well, I had a lot on my mind."

Garcia sat forward in her chair, her whole attention now focused on the other woman. "So you actually talked to our brown eyed girl huh?" Garcia was hoping that the two women had finally sat down and talked to each other properly. She'd had front row seats to the Emily and JJ show and had formed her own secret cheer squad for her two best friends.

"Yeah we talked."

"Ok, Jayj…Call me crazy but that doesn't sound like a very happy tone there." Garcia mentally sent her JJ/Emily cheer squad back to the locker room sensing that the two women still hadn't worked out what was so obvious. How they both worked for the BAU she didn't know.

JJ sighed. She was happy that Emily had spoken to her the night before. However, she still couldn't work out who Emily had fallen for. "I just can't work it out." The younger blonde looked at her friend and then it hit her. All the time talking, the way they would act on their trips to the bar, the easy friendship they had formed.

Garcia could almost see the pieces of the puzzle slipping into place in JJ's mind. She mentally brought the cheer squad out for their warm up routine.

"She…She…Oh. My. God. It's you."

Garcia sat staring at the blonde in front of her. The cheer squad all slapped their imaginary foreheads. "JJ honey, it's not me." Garcia was seriously thinking about just telling the woman what was so blatantly obvious. Maybe this had been why JJ had never signed up for the profiling courses.

"It has to be. Otherwise…" JJ trailed off. The realisation of who Emily had been talking about the previous night sinking in. She opened her mouth and closed it a few times before regaining the ability to speak. "Me?" What she had intended to be a statement came out as more of a question. She fixed the gaze of the blonde in front of her, searching for some confirmation.

"I thought you'd never figure it out Jayj. You were starting to give blondes a bad name." A big smile had spread across her face. Her smile faltered as she looked at JJ's expression. "JJ, you ok?" She reached a hand out to place it on the younger woman's arm. As soon as her hand made contact, JJ shot up out of the chair.

"I have to…I have to go." With that she was out of the door before Garcia had a chance to stop her and find out what was going on in her head.

* * *

Emily had been sitting at her desk in the bullpen staring at the file she was meant to be reviewing. Her thoughts were stuck on her past. She had been so lost in her own thoughts that she only noticed JJ heading back into her office as her blonde head vanished around the door frame. Looking back at the file she tried to refocus. Just as she finished reading the first paragraph of the report her phone vibrated on the desk. She picked it up and noticed a new text from Garcia. She clicked on it to open the message.

_Em…JJ knows_

Emily looked at the message for a while, trying to work out if it was good or bad news. Three words just didn't give enough information. She started to type a message back.

_Ok and how did she react?_

Emily watched as the sent message popped up on her screen and then waited for the reply. Her finger had started to tap the edge of her desk as her gaze shifted to look at JJ's office door. The next message was either going to bring good news that could be the start of her fantasy becoming reality or it was going to be the end of that fantasy. The phone buzzed again. Emily's finger hovered over the read button. Preparing herself mentally, she clicked the button.

_She left_

Emily was starting to get frustrated with the lack of words in Garcia's texts. Normally they would go on for a good couple of messages but today, when it was actually something very important, the maximum was 3 words. Her phone buzzed again before she had thought about a reply.

_Talk to her Em. _

Emily knew that this was the only way to resolve the situation. She knew that she needed to know one way or another now. For so long, she had kept her feelings about the blonde to herself. Then Garcia had spotted the way she would look at the younger agent and called her on it. She was one of the only 2 people to know about the way she felt for JJ. They'd spent many long hours talking with Garcia trying to get her to open up and be honest. Then Will had come along and everything had fallen apart. Then there had been a glimmer of hope. That maybe, just maybe she had a chance. With that reaction from the blonde, she really wasn't sure where she stood. She knew that what lay beyond that office door was the scariest thing that she'd have to face.

She stood and walked over to the door. Lifting her hand to knock she stopped just before making contact with the door upon hearing JJ's voice. "Come in Em." She entered the office and closed the door behind her. Looking at the blonde as she stood just inside the office, she tried to read her body language. Get some kind of hint as to what was going to be said. "Please sit down." Emily moved to the chair in front of JJ's desk and sat down.

It was JJ who spoke first. "How long Em?" Her blue eyes fixed on the brown in front of her. Her right arm was leaning on the desk her fingers lightly leaning across her lips.

"Since we first met. There was just something about you that caught my attention. Something nobody had done since…" Emily's voice trailed off, not really wanting to remember too much about the past just then.

JJ nodded. "Why didn't you say anything?" Her eyebrows had drawn together into a frown.

"I tried to deny it for a long time. Then as we got to know each other more, I just figured I never had a chance so why risk ruining our friendship? I worked out long ago that I'd rather have you as my friend than not have you in my life at all."

"Why would I have broken off our friendship?"

"I just thought you'd have found it awkward knowing that." Emily looked down at her hands.

"You won't lose me Em. You mean too much to me." JJ paused for a moment just looking at the other woman. "Em…I need some time to work things out."

Emily looked back up at the blonde. The glimmer of hope clearly evident in her eyes and JJ clearly saw the unasked question in them.

"Just give me some time. I've got a lot to think about." She watched as Emily turned her gaze back towards her hands and nodded. She made a move to stand when JJ's voice stopped her. "It wasn't one sided Em."

"Wasn't?" Emily noticed the past tense in JJ's statement. Felt her hope fading again at that moment. Only this time the sinking feeling was greater as the statement suggested there had been a chance at one point.

"Isn't."

At that moment there was a knock on the door and Hotch opened it. "I need you both in the conference room now."

The two agents watched as he left. There was still so much that needed to be said between them. So many things that needed resolving. Emily knew she would give the blonde the time she asked for. After waiting so many years to find someone who could break through her walls and open her heart again, she would wait as long as it took. With one last look at each other they made their way over to the conference room.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own them

AN: Apologies for the delay…Work got a bit crazy due to the swine flu. Hopefully will be back to more frequent updates now that half the school is off sick.

Chapter 23:

The team assembled in the briefing room, all of them wondering what had led them to be called in so rapidly. JJ knew that there were no cases that had come through her office that required urgent attention.

Hotch stood at the front of the room looking at each member of his team. "DC police just called." He saw the instant tension in JJ and noticed the concerned look Garcia and Emily exchanged. "Will escaped early this morning."

"How did he escape?" Morgan asked, the anger evident in his voice.

"I don't have all the details but apparently he appeared to suffer from some kind of medical emergency and when they were moving him, he managed to get one of the officers guns and escape. They have set up check points on the major routes out of the area but there has been no sign yet."

"How do we know he is still here?" Reid asked.

"We don't for sure." Hotch looked at JJ. "But there is a strong possibility that he won't have left yet."

"Unfinished business." Was all JJ said before standing and leaving the room.

"You think he'll come after JJ and Henry?" Morgan felt his protective side kick in at the thought that something could happen to anyone in his BAU family.

"It is quite likely. His motivation was centred around JJ and the way their relationship made him feel. We all know that this type of unsub usually culminates in the murder of the person they feel is responsible for their feelings of inadequacy when other people fail to serve as enough of a release."

"Sir, may I?" Emily gestured towards the door that JJ had left through moments before. Hotch nodded his consent, understanding the need of the other profiler to check on the well being of the media liason. Emily stood and left the room to pursue JJ.

As Emily entered the bullpen she looked around for any sign of the direction that the blonde had gone. Catching a glimpse of blonde hair entering the elevator, she made her way through the desks. Just as she was about to reach it, the doors began to close. "JJ, wait." The blonde didn't react to Emily's calls. Despite the brunette having sped up to a run, she failed to reach the doors before they finished closing. "Damn it." She muttered to herself. She watched the lights to see which floor the elevator was going to stop at and then headed for the stairs.

She took the stairs two at a time to reach the blonde as quickly as she could, concerned for what she must be thinking and feeling. She reached the top floor and again found herself searching for signs of the path taken by the younger agent. Then she saw it, the door to the roof had been wedged open. Heading out onto the roof of the FBI building, Emily checked that the door would stay open. As she stepped further onto the open roof, the cold wind blowing across made Emily pull her jacket tighter around herself. Even then she couldn't stop the involuntary shiver that ran through her body. She spotted JJ leaning against the railing at the edge. Her blonde hair was whipping around her in the wind.

Slowly Emily approached, not wanting to startle the other woman. "JJ?" She said softly as she got closer. Again she was greeted by silence. "Jayj, look at me." She put her hand on the other agents arm allowing it to rest there lightly. As her hand made contact, blue eyes turned to her. The look in JJ's eyes made Emily's heart lurch inside her chest. The blue eyes were shining with unshed tears and they looked so lost. It was a look that Emily had never seen in the younger woman's eyes before and it made her seem so much younger. All Emily wanted to do was hold her and find a way to take that look away. They looked at each other for a while before JJ spoke.

"I didn't want it to end like this."

"JJ, nothing is ending." The brunette's voice held and edge of panic. The thoughts of what JJ could mean by that phrase racing through her mind.

"He's going to come back for Henry and for me."

"We don't know that for sure." Emily wanted JJ to be wrong. Wanted to believe that Will would just vanish and never be seen again or would be arrested far away from the woman standing in front of her. However, all her years of training and experience of similar people told her it was not likely to end like that. She knew the end of so many similar cases was when the unsub killed those closest to them. She knew that if Will did come back there would only be two possible endings. Neither of them would leave the younger woman unaffected.

JJ smiled an empty smile. "We both know I'm right Em but thanks for trying."

"Then we'll stop him. We'll be ready. You won't have to do this alone Jayj."

JJ nodded and then looked back out across the roads beneath them. "I always tried to live so that I had no regrets. You have to in our jobs. But I didn't manage it." Emily saw the blonde shivering so took her jacket off before wrapping it around JJ's shoulders. JJ turned to look at her again. "I regret being too scared to do what I knew was right in New Orleans."

"What were you scared of?"

"You." Emily looked at the blonde, shocked. She could think of anything to say to that. "I was scared of what you made me feel. I was scared of what others would say. What it would mean for our jobs. And I was scared of you not feeling the same things." She paused for a moment. "So I ran away and went after the first guy that showed an interest. And now look…I managed to run to a serial killer." She laughed bitterly. "I knew it wasn't right but I was too much of a coward to go after who I really wanted. I convinced myself that there wasn't anything between us, that you weren't the person I had…" JJ tailed off. "Denial is a wonderful thing."

"Jayj, no matter what happens, I have to believe they happen for a reason."

"What reason is there that makes all of this ok?" A tear rolled down JJ's cheek.

"Henry." That one word was all Emily said. No matter what else had happened, Henry existed as a result of it. Emily knew that her son meant the world to JJ. That no matter what else had happened, he was the proverbial silver lining.

"What if he ends up like Will though? We have seen it. We have seen sons carry on where their father left off. What if Henry does that?" The despair in JJ's voice was heartbreaking.

"Jayj, it won't happen with Henry. He is so much like you. He will be just as amazing as you because he has you as his mom. He might share some genes with Will but you are going to raise him. It's because of that fact that he will grow up to be a fantastic guy."

"If we get the chance."

Emily gently turned JJ by her shoulders to face her. Making sure she had the blonde's full attention before she spoke. "He will and you will have the chance. I'll make sure of it." Emily's brown eyes had changed to such a dark shade they were almost black. They reflected every ounce of passion and determination that the brunette felt.

JJ looked into those eyes and she believed that Emily would ensure she got that chance, no matter what. Then she stepped forward, closing the space between them. Her right hand slid up to the back of Emily's neck as she pulled her in to meet her lips. It started with only a gentle pressure but JJ could feel warmth spreading from the contact with Emily's lips. She felt Emily's hands slide from her shoulders and down her back, pulling her closer. She slid her tongue along Emily's lower lip, requesting entrance. Emily parted her lips and granted the blonde's unspoken request. Tongues slid against each other, both women ending up lost in the feelings the other stirred. Eventually the need for air won through and they broke apart. Emily rested her forehead against the blonde, breathing heavily.

As blue eyes opened and met brown, JJ spoke. "I didn't want to keep regretting it." Emily just smiled at the blonde. The two women stayed that way for what felt like hours. The only thing that snapped them back to reality was when JJ felt the brunette shiver. "You're cold. We should go in."

"I'm ok. We can stay here until you are ready."

JJ raised an eyebrow at the other woman. "In." The two walked back inside the building. As the elevator door closed, JJ turned to look at the brunette. "How do you do it Em?"

"Do what?"

"Make things that should leave me curled in a ball somewhere seem bearable?"

"I don't do anything Jayj."

The blonde just smiled as she shook her head. "You do more than you realise." Before the brunette could respond, the elevator pinged signalling their arrival at the bullpen. Their conversation would have to wait for another time. Their focus now had to be on finding Will before anyone else got hurt.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm just playing and promise to return them mainly unharmed.

AN: Thanks to all those who have reviewed. They are much appreciated. Hope you enjoy the chapter :o)

Chapter 24

The team had gone back to JJ's house to search for any clues as to where Will would be likely to go. Garcia had been left to search through the CCTV footage starting from the scene of Will's escape and then trying to find where he went. It had been a long few hours of searching before Garcia had news. Dialling quickly she waited as the phone rang.

"Talk to me baby girl."

"I found where he went. He went straight to the bank and it would seem he has cleared out the account. He then headed over to a private airstrip and he is currently there waiting for his plane to be ready. It would appear that he is about to leave the area. I have sent the directions to your PDA."

"Baby girl you are a goddess."

"Tell me something I don't know." She clicked off the phone and smiled.

* * *

The cars pulled up to the air field, throwing up dirt as they moved along the unmade track leading to the hangars. They knew that time was getting short. The plane had already started to taxi along the runway. Another minute and he would be gone. Derek floored the gas and raced towards the runway. The plane had started it's acceleration for take off. SUV and plane both accelerating towards each other.

Morgan slammed his foot on the break and spun the wheel hard to come to a stop on the runway. The plane kept coming. The wheel slowly started to lift off the tarmac and then just as it seemed it would smash right into the SUV, it lifted off. Morgan smacked the steering wheel as the plane flew into the air.

The team got out of the SUV's to watch as the plane carrying their unsub flew higher into the sky. "Damnit. We were so close."

Hotch had pulled out his phone. "Garcia, can we track the plane that just took off?" He listened to the response from the analyst before hanging up. "Garcia is tracking it. When he lands, we'll have a team waiting…" Before he could finish a loud explosion stopped him.

All eyes turned back to where moments before they were watching the plane getting smaller against the blue sky. Instead of the white of a plane there was now a ball of black smoke, debris falling visibly. Nobody spoke. They all stood, staring at the sky. Still not sure they could believe their eyes.

Eventually Hotch managed to open his phone. "The plane exploded. Send a recovery team." They all stood there for an unknown period of time. Not knowing whether to feel relief or sadness. Their unsub was dead but so was Henry's father.

Slowly, the team started to move from the points they had become fixed to. Their attention shifting from the sky to the young blonde in their group. Trying to work out how she was feeling and reacting to what they had witnessed.

Emily placed her hand on JJ's shoulder. "You ok?" She asked the question everyone else was wondering but had been unsure how to ask.

"Yeah." She paused before turning to look at brown eyes. "Case closed. We can now move on." Emily looked into blue eyes and what she saw there took her by surprise. There was a small amount of regret evident but the overwhelming emotion obvious in the blonde was relief. Emily understood. This meant there would never be a chance for Will to come back and intervene in either JJ's or Henry's lives again. It was a real closure.

As the team moved away from the scene, Emily pulled JJ back from the others. She waited until the rest of the team were out of earshot. "Are you really ok?"

"Yes Em." She looked into brown eyes letting the brunette see all her emotions clearly. "Can you do something for me?"

"Name it."

"Take me out somewhere tonight. I want to start a new chapter in my life…with you." She couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips at the thought of a life with the other woman. There was something scary about it and yet also exhilarating. She knew that on some level she shouldn't be ready to move on with her life so easily but with Emily, it all just seemed so easy and natural.

Emily just smiled and nodded her response.

* * *

Emily had been through her entire wardrobe at least twice trying to decide what to wear. She had never been more nervous about going out with someone than she was tonight. This was it. This was JJ. This was the one person Emily thought she would only ever get to dream about in this way. She finally made her decision and changed into her chosen outfit. Glancing at her watch she smiled seeing she still had another 30 minutes until she was 'picking up' JJ.

The brunette headed downstairs and felt a certain thrill run through her as the doorbell rang. She opened the door to find Garcia standing there. "Hey Garcia." Emily stepped back to let the other woman in. "Thanks for doing this."

"No problem. You know I'd do anything for my two favourite girls. And can I just say wow Emily Prentiss!" Garcia looked at the outfit the brunette had chosen. "JJ is going to be speechless when she sees you."

Emily blushed slightly at the comments from the analyst. "I need to pop out for a bit. You ok here?"

"I think you are up to something Agent Prentiss."

Emily smiled back and winked. "I'll be back in time to pick up my date." With that she grabbed her keys and headed out of the door.

* * *

JJ came down the stairs and was surprised to find Garcia there but no Emily. Before she had a chance to ask Garcia where the other woman was, there was a knock at the door. JJ turned and walked down the hall to the door. As she opened it, she was greeted by a sight that took her breath away.

Standing on the doorstep was Emily. She was wearing a tight fitting red shirt and black trousers and she looked absolutely stunning. In her hand was a bouquet of lilies. "You look amazing Jayj."

The brunette allowed her eyes to take in the beautiful sight in front of her. The blonde was wearing a simple black dress but it was in the simplicity that the real beauty was shining through. It showed off the well toned body of the younger woman and Emily couldn't help but stare for a moment. Both were so lost in looking at the other that they didn't notice the person watching them from across the street, witnessing the whole exchange.

JJ took the flowers from Emily. "They are beautiful." As she stepped back to allow Emily to follow her into the house. "You are a goofball though…Knocking at your own door." The smile on her face gave away the fact that she had actually found the gesture incredibly cute.

The two women then said their farewells to Garcia and headed out. Emily had picked a nice little restaurant where they had a table that provided them with a certain degree of privacy. As they ate, the two women chatted about a variety of things. At those times that that conversation reached a natural lull, it was comfortable. Neither one feeling the need to fill the silence with words. They both exchanged gentle touches at various moments through the evening. Simply enjoying the ease at which they had moved to this new level in their relationship.

As the night drew to its end, they headed back to the house. Both spending time lost in their thoughts about how the evening would end. It wasn't like a normal date where you drop the other person off at the door, share a goodnight kiss and then head to your own home. They were living in the same house now and that added a whole new dimension to the evening that neither knew how it would play out. Yet that feeling of uncertainty didn't fill either of them with anything other than a sense of excitement at the unknown.

As they approached the door, Emily slipped her arm into the crook of JJ's, gently letting her fingers stroke over the skin there. "I had a lovely night Jayj."

The blonde moved closer to the brunette as they took the last few steps up to the door. "Me too." They stopped as they reached the door. Emily turned to face JJ before sliding her arm from JJ's to her back, gently drawing her in close. Their eyes locked together, neither allowing their gaze to falter. Emily leant into the blonde allowing her lips to ghost across JJ's. She watched as blue eyes drifted shut and the blonde closed the tiny space between them. Lips pressed together more tightly. JJ allowed her tongue to slip forwards and trace around the brunette's lips. Emily parted her lips to deepen the kiss. Tongues duelled for dominance. Hands slipped along backs and into hair. Gently pulling the other closer. Their bodies pressed tightly together, fitting perfectly. A slight moan filled the still night air, neither woman sure of who it had originated from. As they slowly broke apart, their breathing was deep. "That was some good night kiss." JJ nudged the brunette with her hip and winked. Emily couldn't help but smile as she opened the door.

"Hey Garcia." JJ called out to her friend.

"Jay.." Garcia shouted but then fell silent. The next sound they heard was the sound of a loud thump. Both women looked at each other. The fear about what had already happened and what was still to come clear on both faces. JJ took off up the stairs at a run. Her only thought was of getting to Henry abd her friend. She didn't stop even upon hearing Emily's cursing and calls for her to wait.

Emily followed the young blonde up the stairs but instead of following along the hall, she diverted into her bedroom. She quickly crossed the room and made her way to the bedside cabinet. On top of the cabinet was the gun safe. She placed her hand on the sensor and the front flipped down. Reaching inside she took her gun out. Immediately checking the clip and taking the safety off. She then flipped her phone open almost as an afterthought and dialled Hotch. As soon as he answered she simply said "He's here." She knew what Hotch would say next. Knew he would tell her to wait for back up. Knew he would tell her not to rush into anything. That was something she knew she couldn't give…She didn't have time to spare. She couldn't sit and wait and hope that nothing would happen in the meantime. So before Hotch had a chance to say any of it, she closed her phone. She knew that the rest of the team would be there soon…She just hoped it was soon enough.

* * *

JJ ran into the nursery and immediately her eyes took in the scene before her. She saw Henry's crib and couldn't stop the feeling of relief that rushed through her body as she saw her son looking back at her, his big blue eyes seeming to take in everything around him in a calm way that JJ wished she could possess at that moment. Then she allowed her attention to shift to Garcia. Her friend was lying motionless on the floor. The relief that had just washed over her was now replaced by a new sense of apprehension and fear. She knelt down next to her friend carrying out a visual examination. There were no signs of blood but there was also no visible movement. She swallowed reflexively while offering a silent prayer to anyone listening that her friend would be ok. She reached out a hand and distantly noticed it shaking. It took her a few seconds to find the right spot to check for a pulse but those few seconds felt like an eternity. Then she felt it. Steadily beating. JJ's head dropped forward as for the second time that night relief flooded her very being. Her eyes drifted closed as she thanked the higher powers.

Then she heard a sound that made her blood run cold and her breath catch in her throat. The sound of a gun being cocked and then the feel of cold steel pressed to the back of her head. Her eyes stayed shut as she waited for the inevitable. Waited for the darkness to become permanent. She didn't want to see what was being taken from her when she had only just found it.

"Stand up JJ."

She stood slowly, not turning but opening her eyes to cast one more look over to her son. Knowing she may never get another chance to hold him. Never get another chance to tell him she loves him. Never get the chance to see what the future would bring for him. As soon as JJ was standing, Will changed his position. He moved himself closer to JJ and turned them so that the blonde was between him and the door. She realised what he was doing. She was his human shield against whatever was going to come through that door. That was when JJ realised what or rather who was going to walk in through the door…Emily.

* * *

Emily stood outside the door to the nursery. She knew that inside that room were the three most important people in her life…and the one person who could take it all away with one action. She could feel her fear rising inside and knew she had to keep it at bay. She needed to be the profiler, the FBI agent right then. Not the person who was in love with the woman somewhere in that room. She needed to keep her head clear to make sure there were no mistakes. She needed to be able to get them all out of this. Taking one last breath she stepped around the door frame, gun raised.

As soon as the room came into sight, she took in every detail. Saw the crib, saw Henry, saw Garcia and then her eyes came to settle on JJ. Her heart seemed to stop at that moment. Will had one arm wrapped tightly around the blonde's waist, pinning her arms to her side. In his other hand was a gun, levelled at JJ's right temple. Everything seemed to come to a stop as she looked at the blonde and she met blue eyes. She could hear her own heart pounding and the blood rushing through her ears. All she could see for that moment was the beautiful blue of JJ's eyes. She saw the unspoken request to save Henry if nothing else. As soon as that thought settled in her mind, everything sped up again and the world filled her senses.

"You don't have to do this Will." Emily was surprised at how steady her voice sounded. He had expected it to come out either shakily or not at all. Yet it sounded like her normal voice.

"Really? Why is that Emily? Will JJ and Henry be coming home with me?" His voice was cold.

Emily looked at him. She couldn't think of an answer to give. They both knew that would never happen. Even if JJ had been willing to go back, there was the small matter of the murders that he had committed.

"I'll leave with you." JJ's voice was barely above a whisper.

Emily turned her gaze from Will to look into JJ's eyes, to try to read what was going on there. What she saw made her want to yell and scream, there was total resignation in the blonde's eyes. Emily knew why she was saying it. Knew that the blonde was looking for some way for them all to make it out of this room alive, no matter what that meant for her.

"We both know that won't happen." Will sneered back. His mouth so close to her ear that she could feel the way his breath moved the hair there. Felt the heat of his breath against her flesh.

"Tell me what you want." It was Emily who spoke this time. Searching for some way to gain access to the man in front of her. Some way to get in and manipulate the situation to their advantage.

"Just an answer."

Before anyone could find out what the question was all attention shifted to the groan that came from the floor. Garcia moved one of her hands to her head and then as the realisation of the reason for the splitting headache and her position on the floor hit her, she sat bolt upright. She swayed and her eyes closed as a new wave of pain and nausea washed over her. She forced her eyes open and took in the scene around her. She pushed herself up and instinctively moved in front of Henry.

"Welcome back Penelope."

Garcia bit her tongue to stop the harsh words that were about to spill from her mouth at the man standing with a gun to her best friend having just pistol whipped her moments before.

"Will, whatever it is you want, Garcia and Emily aren't part of this. Let them go." JJ had kept her eyes away from the brunette in front of her as she spoke. She didn't want to see the hurt she was causing the other woman. She didn't want to see the pleading in her eyes. She didn't want to see the love that radiated from those chocolate eyes. Now she had realised what the other woman felt and the fact that she reciprocated those feelings, she saw the feelings as clearly as if they were words on a page. She knew that if she looked into those eyes that she would lose her determination to end this here tonight, no matter what the cost to her.

"You're right JJ. Garcia doesn't have anything to do with this." He paused for a moment. "Neither does he. Take him and go." His eyes didn't leave Emily's face. He waited for a moment but sensed no movement. "This offer has a time limit. I don't think you want to know what happens when the time is up." His voice held a warning that could not be ignored.

Garcia looked between Emily and JJ. She saw JJ nod to her. "Get him somewhere safe." Her eyes finished the sentence that she couldn't bring herself to say. Garcia understood. She would take Henry out of danger and if the unthinkable happened, she would make sure he was well cared for. She lifted Henry out of his crib, the tears falling freely down her face. Her feet moved numbly towards the door out of the nursery. As she reached the door she turned to look over her shoulder at the two women she was leaving behind. She saw as tears fell silently down JJ's cheeks. The next moment she was gone, moving out of the house and to safety.

* * *

Emily had her focus entirely on Will. Now there was no risk to Henry or Garcia, her only concern was JJ.

"What is your question?" Emily wanted to know the question. Needed to know what Will wanted. She needed to find a way to get the blonde woman out of this safely. She saw the smile on his face.

"Tell me Emily, is love enough?" He watched the confusion on the brunette's features. The way her brow furrowed. Deciding she needed further clarification of the question before she would answer, he elaborated. "Is love enough for you to give up everything?"

Emily felt JJ's blue eyes almost burning into her with the intensity of the gaze she had fixed on the brunette. Willing her to look at her so she could communicate. Emily refused to look into those eyes. "Yes."

Will smiled. He tightened his grip on JJ as he felt her try to struggle. "Prove it."

"How?"

"I'll make you a deal. You turn your gun on yourself and I'll let JJ go. She'll never see me again."

"How do I know you'll keep your word?"

"If I stay here, then I lose my life in prison. She's really not worth it."

Emily wanted to just pull the trigger and shoot him for that comment alone. JJ was worth everything and that was why she knew what she would do.

The blonde had obviously worked out what Emily's answer would be too. "Em…Don't. Just turn and leave. Please. Don't do this." Tears were flowing down JJ's face, blurring her vision of the woman in front of her. The woman she had fallen in love with. The woman she had caught a brief glimpse of what their future together would be like. Now here she was helpless and watching as it all fell apart.

Emily finally looked at those blue eyes. She felt her heart shatter as she saw the look of panic and pain in those eyes and knew that she had put it there. That she hadn't been good enough to keep the blonde from hurting again. "I'm sorry Jay." She slowly turned the gun from pointing at Will to point it at her own head. Her eyes hadn't been able to break away from the blonde's. She wanted to say so much but there just weren't the words. "It's my choice because I couldn't live without you. I love you Jennifer." Taking one last second to take in the beauty that stood before her, she closed her eyes.

JJ wanted to look away. Wanted to scream and fight but she couldn't move. She watched powerlessly as the gun moved. As Emily spoke. Saw Emily's finger start to tighten on the trigger. That was when she closed her eyes. She couldn't watch this happen. As soon as her eyes closed, a single shot rang out and JJ's heart stopped as her legs gave out and every emotion poured out of her in a scream, "EMILY!!!"

* * *


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own them but I promise to return them mainly unharmed.

AN: Thanks to those who have reviewed. Your comments are much appreciated. Sorry for the delay, I found this one hard to write. Hope it works.

Chapter 25

"EMILY!!!" The blonde distantly felt her knees connect with the ground. She knew she should open her eyes. That she should look at the sight that was sure to greet her. Yet she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't face the thought of seeing Emily lying there surrounded by blood. No longer able to look into those chocolate eyes. Not able to see that smile flashed across the room just for her. Never to be able to explore the new dimension to their relationship.

She was vaguely aware of someone's hands on her arms. Will, her mind filled in for her. JJ had completely forgotten that he was still there becoming overwhelmed with the realisation of what had just happened to her Emily. She tried to shake the hands off. He'd promised to leave. Emily had done what he wanted and he was still here. She didn't care if he shot her now. It was because of her that Emily lay dead just in front of her. The hands wouldn't let go. The grip became firmer as she tried to shake free of them. JJ could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks from under closed eyes.

Images flahed through her mind. The first time she met Emily in Hotch' office. Emily's voice calling her back to the present after Tobias Hankel's dogs. The feeling of Emily's hand taking hers when sitting waiting for news on Garcia. All those little touches that offered comfort or support just when she needed it. Emily holding her when she cried about Will. Kissing the brunette.

JJ could feel the hands on her trying to pull her closer but she kept fighting them. She couldn't leave. Her future was meant to be here…with Emily. She'd stopped running and hiding after all these years. This was meant to be her happy ending.

She was distantly aware of a voice that she knew she should recognise.

"JJ, look at me."

Those four words. Four words that had brought her back from the depths of her mind once before. Did this person not know the significance of them? She felt a hand against her face. The palm of it resting against her cheek. She felt a thumb stroking the tears that were falling away.

"Jayj, please…please open your eyes." The voice sounded so broken. The words said with such pleading. There was something telling JJ to listen to the voice. So she forced herself to focus on the voice, ignoring all the other sounds.

"Please Jay. I need…I need you to look at me. I can't…I can't lose you. I love you. Just open your eyes. Don't…leave…me."

JJ felt her body shake more with her tears. Emily. Emily was talking to her. She didn't know how it was possible but her Emily was talking to her and she never wanted her to stop. Her voice stuttered over the words as she spoke, the tears making it very hard to form words. "I can't."

"Why?"

"Because you won't be there if I open my eyes."

"Please Jay, trust me. Open your eyes. I'll still be here. I'll always be here."

JJ wanted to listen, wanted to believe Emily but she just couldn't. The same fear that had kept her running for all those years was keeping her from doing what was asked of her. This time the fear was greater though. If she opened her eyes and Emily was gone then there were no second chances. No going back. That was something that JJ couldn't face. She needed Emily to get her through. She simply shook her head, feeling fresh tears running down her face.

The next thing JJ felt were lips against her own. Gentle pressure. She knew the feel of those lips though. They were so soft. JJ pulled back slightly but remained close enough to be able to feel their breath mingling. Slowly she opened her eyes. Then she saw them. Those deep chocolate eyes that she never thought she would look into again. "Em?" Her voice was barely a whisper. She watched as the brunette nodded. Then she moved forwards wrapping her arms tightly around Emily. She felt the brunettes arms move to wrap her into an embrace. They just held each other as they cried. Just needing to feel the other, to reassure themselves that this was real. Eventually JJ managed to form the question that had entered her mind. "How?"

"Garcia."

JJ pulled back slightly, making sure she still maintained as much contact as possible with Emily. Not wanted to release her hold, fearing that if she did then the brunette would somehow vanish. JJ finally looked around the room for the first time. She saw Emily's gun on the floor to her side. Then turning to see behind her she saw Garcia standing, a gun hanging loosely in her right hand. She was looking down at Will. His body lay motionless on the floor, blood slowly spreading from the single gunshot wound to his head. JJ turned back to meet Emily's eyes before standing. Emily stood with her, taking her hand and entwining their fingers. They took the few steps over to where Garcia was standing.

In a quiet voice Garcia answered the question that had gone unspoken. "You once told me, you do whatever it takes to protect your family." The older blonde then turned to face her best friends. "This is what I needed to do to protect you."

JJ wrapped Garcia into a hug. "Thank you." She knew that those two words would never be able to express the level of gratitude she felt towards the woman in front of her but it was all she had. She knew that Garcia understood how much this meant to her.

The silence was broken by the sound of footsteps running up the stairs. Emily turned and called out to them. "We're in here." Morgan was the first into the room, closely followed by Hotch, Rossi and Reid. They all took a moment to survey the scene before them.

It was Morgan who spoke first. "What happened? I thought he was dead."

Garcia turned to face them. "That's what he wanted us to think. It wasn't him on the plane. He wanted to come back here. He knocked and I thought that JJ and Em had forgotten their key so I opened the door and there he was. He waited for them to get back. I tried to warn them." Garcia stopped talking as she took a moment to steady her breathing again.

_Flashback…_

_Garcia walked out of the door of the house and looked around. She grabbed her phone from her pocket and dialled Morgan. As soon as he answered she simply asked one question, "How long?" She listened to the answer before closing the phone. They were going to be too long, it would be too late. Garcia saw a light on in Emily's neighbours house and walked to their door. She knocked and waited. As the door opened an elderly lady stood there. The look of shock on her face was obvious. "Ma'am I work with the FBI with your neighbour Emily. I need you to look after Henry and stay inside. Don't open that door for anyone without an FBI badge." The old lady looked between Henry and the blonde woman before nodding and taking Henry from her. _

_Garcia watched as the door closed and she knew she had to go back for her friends. She quietly made her way back into the house. She could hear voices from the nursery as she crept back along the upstairs hall. She went into Emily's room and over to the gun safe that was still open. She reached inside and took out the back-up gun Emily always kept there. Garcia breathed a sigh of relief that the brunette had told her about it in one of their conversations previously. She checked the gun was loaded and then quietly made her way to the nursery. _

_As she stood outside the door, she thought back to the times at the firing range with JJ. She'd insisted that the younger blonde teach her how to use a gun after the incident with Battle. Even if Garcia never thought she would be able to use a gun, she wanted to know how. Breathe slow. Focus on the target. Breathe in and then hold it as you pull the trigger. She repeated these instructions to herself as she listened for an opportunity. _

"_It's my choice because I couldn't live without you. I love you Jennifer."_

_With those words Garcia stepped around the door bringing the gun up as she did. She focused on Will. Then taking one more breath in she saw Will notice her but it was too late for him to say or do anything. As in that instant, Garcia pulled the trigger. The next thing she saw was Will falling back to the ground. JJ sank to her knees and the sound of the one word she shouted as she fell ripped Garcia's heart apart. "EMILY!!!"_

_Emily spun to look to the doorway and when her eyes met Garcia's, the tears fell. Emily dropped her gun to the floor before turning her attention to the young blonde in front of her. _

The team listened to the story Garcia told. All of them knowing that if Garcia hadn't come back, the scene they would now be observing would have been very different. They all set about their tasks to secure the scene and waited for the local police and authorities. All thankful for the final outcome of the recent events.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Still don't own them, I'm just playing.

A/N: Ok folks this is where I need your input…I can wrap this fic up here or keep going. Let me know what you want either by leaving me a review or PM.

As always massive thanks to those who reviewed…Especially rain1654; bdd4evr; egoofy34; nnnjtu; addicted-mb and igorellis…All your reviews have kept me writing when I hit a bit of a block. Also a big thanks to those who read but don't review…seeing the hits counter go up also makes me smile. :o)

Enjoy… :o)

Chapter 26:

It had taken a few hours for the police to finish taking their statements and collecting the evidence they required. Once they left, Rossi, Reid and Hotch had soon followed. Morgan, Garcia and Emily were left in the now quiet house as JJ went to collect Henry from next door.

"Morgan…Could you help me with something please?" Emily asked standing from the couch.

"Sure thing." He gave Garcia's hand a final squeeze before releasing his hold and standing to follow Emily up the stairs. They walked along the hall to what had become Henry's nursery.

As Emily reached the room, her eyes were instantly drawn to the large blood stain on the carpet. She stared at the mark for a moment before dragging her mind away from the memories flooding her consciousness. "Can you help me move Henry's crib into JJ's room please? He shouldn't come into this room again."

Morgan stepped into the room and helped Emily move the crib. He knew that JJ wouldn't want Henry coming back into the room and that Emily was right about moving it. He just didn't know if either of the women would want to spend any time in the room again or if it now held too many negative memories for the pair. He could tell that certain details had been left out of what the three women recounted as the events of that night. It didn't take a profiler to see that something had changed between the two agents in recent days. Morgan wasn't one to push anyone for information. He just hoped that his two friends would trust him enough to share what was going on soon.

As they finished moving the crib, they heard the front door close. "Thanks Derek." Emily then led the way back down to the lounge to find JJ and Garcia sitting with Henry between them. Emily looked at the scene in front of her and couldn't help but wonder how things could seem so normal after what they had all been through. There were subtle differences. Differences that might be missed by people who didn't know the others as well as they knew each other. Garcia had lost that flirty edge to her voice when chatting to Morgan. Her usual quick wit was less apparent. Morgan hadn't smiled his trademark Morgan grin since arriving. Then there was JJ…Her blue eyes were darker than normal, the smiles tighter and more forced. Emily knew that the blonde was carrying a lot of guilt about recent events and had made it her own mission to alleviate as much of that burden as she could.

JJ looked over to where Emily was standing and saw the intense look in her eyes. She wished that she could read Emily at times like this. JJ knew that whenever things got too much then the brunette threw up her walls and compartmentalised everything that was too hard to deal with all at once. It was a skill JJ had envied when they first met but as time went on, she saw the toll it took on the other woman. It was rare but there had been a couple of times that the compartmentalising didn't work and JJ had caught a glimpse of Emily's defences crumbling. It was a thought that always left the blonde with an uneasy feeling…Not being sure what would happen if all the defences the brunette had built up came crashing down at once. Right now, as she looked into those brown eyes she was met with walls. JJ decided at that moment that she would try to get Emily to let down those walls slightly and let her in. She didn't want the older woman to keep these feelings and thoughts locked up in her own mind as to JJ, that only signalled an unhappy ending.

Emily seemed to feel the blonde's gaze and brought her attention back to the room.

"JJ, would you mind if I took Henry up and told him a story?" Garcia asked gently. She was expecting her friend to turn down her request.

"I think he'd like that." JJ smiled at the analyst as she picked her son up. She gave him a kiss on his head and then passed him to the waiting blonde.

"Do you want to say goodnight to your auntie Em?" Garcia asked the little boy in her arms. He giggled in response. Garcia took him over to Emily.

As she approached, Emily reached out and took him into her own arms. She gazed into his big blue eyes for a moment, a smile playing on her lips. "Goodnight little man. Prenez soin de votre maman." She gave him a kiss on his head and then passed him back to Garcia.

Turning back to the other two agents Emily smiled. "How many bedtime stories do you think he will get her to tell him before he sleeps?"

* * *

Garcia settled Henry into his crib and sat down on the edge of the bed so she could still look at him.

"You know what Henry…Tonight you were a very lucky boy. We all were. One day when you are older, I'm going to tell you a new story. This story won't be a fairytale and I can't say for sure that there will be a happy ending. I hope there will be but right now, there's a long way to go before we get there. One day though, I'll tell you a story that will show you just how much your family love you. So you will never doubt that no matter what you might hear, you have people who love you and will do anything to protect you. As I said though little one, that is for when you are older as I want you to understand it. Tonight…I think tonight we should hear about Hansel and Gretel."

Henry was looking up at Garcia as if understanding every word.

"Once upon a time there were these two little children called Hansel and Gretel. They lived on the edge of a forest with their parents. This is obviously a story from many years ago as with all fairytales there are forests on every corner. These days, urban sprawl has led to the dramatic reduction in forests and the best we can hope for is the odd tree. Anyway, one day the two siblings were taken into the woods by their father. Now this was something that caused great joy to the children as all too often their dad was too busy at the office to spend time in the wilderness with them. As they got deeper into the woods, their dad turned to them and said he would be right back. Now what their dad didn't tell them was that as a result of the credit crunch he had lost his job several weeks prior and was fast running out of money. He had tried to sell the children at market but it seemed that nobody had the money to buy extra children that week. After a few hours of sitting in the woods, the children began to realise that their dad wasn't coming back. This of course led to some serious abandonment issues that would require several sessions with a therapist later in life. Luckily for the children, Hansel had the forethought to have left a trail of breadcrumbs as they walked. The bad news was that Hansel hadn't been paying attention in school when they were taught about animals and their survival instincts. Low and behold the breadcrumbs had been eaten by freeloading woodland creatures. The two children wandered the woods until they stumbled across a house. Now this was no ordinary house. This was a house made of gingerbread. Both children were so hungry that they considered eating the house but since neither could find an ingredients label they decided that since Gretel was gluten intolerant and Hansel had serious peanut allergies that it was best not to risk illness."

Garcia paused in her story to check on Henry. As she did she saw his little eyes were slowly drifting closed. She smiled and continued.

"The children were startled from their search for nut and gluten free foods when an old lady emerged from the house. Now their first thought was that the old lady was in fact a wicked witch. It was what all the children in the playground were saying anyway. Hansel turned to the old lady and asked 'Pardon my bluntness but are you a wicked witch?' The old lady looked at him in shock before replying, 'Not at all. I am a Wiccan and certainly not evil. I merely hold different beliefs to you.' The old lady was quite shocked that in this day and age there was still such obvious negativity towards people of different backgrounds and beliefs to their own."

Garcia stopped her story noticing that Henry had fallen asleep. She placed a kiss on her fingers before touching them lightly to his head.

"Goodnight Henry." She then left the room to return to the others.

* * *

"So what story did he get this time?" Emily asked upon seeing Garcia's return.

"Hansel and Gretel but he didn't get to the end. He was out like a light."

"The real Hansel and Gretel or the Garcia version?"

"My version of course." There was a hint of the old Garcia back in that moment. That spark that made the technical analyst herself seemed to be coming back. Garcia then stifled a yawn.

"Right princess, I think it's time I took you home." Morgan commented noticing the yawn.

"Well, there's an offer a girl can't refuse." She smiled at Morgan before turning her attention to her two friends. "Are you two going to be ok?"

Both women nodded at her. "We'll be fine Garcia." JJ stood and hugged her friend. Emily then moved over to give her a hug. "I'll look after her." She whispered to the older blonde. Garcia smiled as she made her way out of the house.

JJ and Emily returned to the couch. Emily turned to the blonde. "Are you ok Jayj?"

The blonde turned blue eyes to the other woman, regarding her carefully. "I don't know to be honest Em." She paused to think about how to explain what she was feeling. "Things could have been so different tonight."

"I know." Images of walking into the nursery and seeing JJ lying on the floor flashed into Emily's mind.

"Why did you do it Em?" The question was so quiet that the brunette would have missed it had she not been completely focused on the blonde.

"I couldn't let him hurt you." She smiled sadly. "It's how he did it you know. I understood when he asked me that question."

"What do you mean?" A slight frown creased the blonde's brow.

"That was how he got all those women to commit suicide. He used what they loved against them. Threatened someone he knew they would do anything to protect. Just like I was willing to do." Emily looked into blue eyes with her last sentence, wanting JJ to see the truth. Wanting her to see that she would have given anything for the blonde to walk out of that room unharmed. Just like she would do again if put in a situation that called for it.

"Why?"

Emily sighed deeply. "Because Jayj. I love you. Seeing him there with a gun to your head, I saw what my future would be like without you. And that just wasn't a future I could live with. I couldn't live without you." Emily dropped her gaze with her admission. Unsure whether the blonde wanted to know the depth of her feeling or whether she was going to end up scaring her away. She was afraid to look into those blue eyes. Afraid of seeing rejection or pity.

"Emily, look at me." JJ spoke quietly. Using the words that had brought her back from the confines of her mind twice when spoken by the woman sitting so close to her. When Emily didn't lift her head, JJ reached her hand out and gently placed two fingers under her chin, slowly lifting the brunettes head to meet her eyes. JJ saw a tear roll down the older woman's cheek and let her thumb wipe it away. She felt her own eyes prickle with the threat of tears at seeing the other woman so broken.

She let her thumb traced down the brunette's jaw line. Slowly she brushed her thumb along her bottom lip. She saw Emily's eyes drift closed of their own accord. JJ was still in awe of how soft Emily's lips were to touch. She saw Emily's lips part slightly in response to the touch. Leaning forwards she replaced her thumb with her lips. Needing to show the other woman what she felt for her and realising that words just couldn't do it justice. JJ pulled back slightly, her lips hovering over Emily's. Her voice had shifted lower. "I felt the same."

JJ felt Emily pull back to look at her. "I thought I had lost you and in that moment I didn't care anymore." Seeing Emily was about to speak, she placed a finger on her lips to silence her. "I can't imagine a future without you either. All I saw was darkness and I didn't care if he shot me then. And I felt like it was my fault. I might as well have pulled the trigger."

Emily placed her hand on JJ's wrist to move her finger away, allowing her to speak. "It was my choice Jayj. You are not to blame for any of this."

The two women looked at each other in silence. It was JJ who spoke first, "Promise me something Em?"

Emily couldn't stop the frown creasing her brow. She had only been asked to promise someone something once before. It had been a promise that the brunette hadn't expected to keep, until she met the blonde now asking her the same thing. She knew that she couldn't refuse the blonde any request. "Ok."

"Promise me that you won't leave me?" It was spoken with such innocence and barely restrained fear that Emily felt her heart lurch inside her chest.

"I promise. That is a promise that will be easy to keep Jay."

With that the two women closed the distance between them. Allowing themselves to get lost in each others kiss. All thoughts of what the future may bring pushed out of their minds. Each holding to a simple promise that they would always be together.

* * *

AN: Ok, so there it is. Want me to continue or end it here? Let me know.

Oh and my apologies for probably messing up the French. I only managed to scrape a C in my GCSEs all those years ago and I'm sure that was only by entertaining the examiner!!


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'll return all but Will unharmed :o)

AN: Thank you so much to all those who reviewed and wanted me to continue with this story. Again, my apologies if the French is wrong. Enjoy :o)

Chapter 27

Emily was woken by crying. At first her sleep clouded mind thought it was Henry who had woken crying but as she became more aware of the sounds around her, she realised it wasn't a baby's cry. Emily got out of bed and made her way out of her room and over to JJ's. She knocked softly on the door and waited but received no response. She could still hear the crying on the other side of the door and couldn't leave the blonde in any distress. When she opened the door it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. Slowly she became accustomed to the small amount of light filtering in from the hall. She could see the form of the blonde lying in the bed, curled into a tight ball and shaking.

Emily made her way across the room. As she reached the edge of the bed she cast a glance into Henry's crib. She was met with big blue eyes looking back at her. She smiled at the baby. "I'll take it from here little man." She gently ran her hand through Henry's hair.

Turning to the bed, she could now see JJ's face. Her blonde hair was damp with sweat and her eyes were clenched shut. Emily could see the blonde's lips moving as if she was speaking but there were no coherent words. The only sound in the room was the crying coming from the blonde about whatever images were playing behind closed eyelids. Emily reached out a hand and gently tucked some hair back where it had fallen across the younger woman's face, her fingers brushing lightly over the skin of her cheek. "It's ok Jayj. Nothing can hurt you. It's ok now." Her fingers stroked through the blonde hair hoping to offer some comfort.

Emily watched as ever so slowly the tension drained from the blonde's body. She could see the expression on her face becoming more peaceful as whatever nightmare had been plaguing JJ's dreams faded away. The brunette watched as her breathing became regular and deeper. Leaning forwards from her position next to the bed, she placed a gentle kiss on the blonde's forehead. "Tu peux surmonter tes cauchemars grâce à tes rêves." She moved to stand but stopped when she felt a hand on her arm. Turning her brown eyes met blue.

"What did it mean?" JJ's voice was slightly deeper than normal, the evidence that the blonde had just woken.

Emily stopped to think for a moment. Not realising that she had spoken in another language. "It means you can overcome your nightmares because of your dreams."

JJ smiled. "Stay with me tonight?" Emily simply nodded. JJ shifted over in the bed to make space for the brunette to climb in beside her. As she lay down, JJ moved closer and rested her head against Emily's shoulder. Enjoying breathing in the scent that she had come to associate with the brunette over the years she had known her. It was one of JJ's favourite past times in days gone by…trying to identify the different scents that made up the unique blend of Emily. She smiled into the older woman's shoulder when she felt an arm move up to hold her gently.

"What was it about?" Emily felt the blonde tense under her hand and instantly regretted asking the question. When the blonde remained quiet, Emily tried to backtrack. "You don't have to tell me. Forget I asked ok?" The room reverted to near silence again. The only sounds audible were the three occupants breathing.

"He killed everyone." The reply was so quiet that had the room not been so silent, Emily was sure she would have missed it. "He waited until I was there and then he killed everyone in front of me."

Emily tightened her hold on the blonde. Feeling the tell tale shake of the body in her arms signalling that tears had started to fall. The images that had haunted the blonde's subconscious flashed into Emily's mind. "It's ok Jay. He can't hurt anyone now. Me and Henry aren't going anywhere." Her hand had started to trace random patterns across the shoulder of the younger woman. "I'll still be here in the morning. You're safe with me." She felt JJ relax against her and then her breathing became slower. Emily stayed awake a while longer, just to make sure that the blonde slept without further nightmares. "Goodnight Jayj." She then let her eyes drift shut content in the knowledge that should the blonde have any further nightmares, she was there to offer comfort.

* * *

Emily woke to the sun shining onto her face. Something that struck her as wrong since one of the first things she had done after starting at the BAU was get blackout curtains for her bedroom. Then she became aware of a weight resting on her right shoulder. Her mind then kicked in and filled in the events of the previous night. Opening her eyes she saw the blonde head still resting against her. It felt so right waking up with the blonde in her arms. It was everything that she had imagined it would be. A gurgle from the side caught her attention. She turned her head to see Henry wide awake and looking at her.

Emily carefully extracted herself from the sleeping blonde. It was clear that the other woman needed to sleep longer and the brunette would give her as long as she could. Pleased that she had managed to get out of the bed without waking JJ, she moved and leant over the crib. "Hey little man." She lifted him out of his crib and into her arms. "Let's go on downstairs and let your mom sleep a bit longer." She placed a kiss on his forehead as they quietly made their way out of the room. Emily quietly pulled the door too behind her, not quite closing it just in case the blonde's nightmares returned.

"What do you say we start the day with a bath?" Emily paused for a moment. "On second thoughts maybe breakfast would be better to start with. I remember the last meal we shared." Images of food being smeared all around Henry, herself and the kitchen flashed through her mind. "Food first I think but a nappy change is certainly a priority." Emily started to make her way along to the nursery but stopped in her tracks. She didn't want Henry to see what was in that room. Even if he was too young to remember, it just didn't feel right to take him in there. Turning she took him into her bedroom and after surrounding him with pillows on her bed she made her way into the nursery and collected the bits Henry would need.

Emily put the collection of items in her arms onto the bed. "Ok little fella, lets start with the nappy. How hard can it be really?" Emily moved Henry so he was lying on his back near her and arranged the baby wipes and the new nappy in easy reach. She then reached down and unpopped his baby grow. "Easy stuff." She lifted his feet out of the clothing and settled him back down. Undoing the Velcro strips on the nappy her eyes widened. "Wow. Ok. I knew that stuff that passes for baby food was toxic!" She lifted him up so she could move the nappy and then grabbed the baby wipes. She cleaned him up before setting him back on the bed. "Let me just get rid of this one and then we'll have a go at putting the new one on. Mom will be impressed." She folded up the used nappy and tossed it into the trash on the other side of the room. Picking up the new nappy she opened it up and turned it one way then the other. "Is there a right way round for these things?" She looked down at Henry and was met with a grin. "Yeah, the sooner you talk the better. I need some hints and tips you know." At that moment, Emily's eyes widened as Henry started to pee. The big problem being that without a nappy Henry had created his very own water feature in the middle of Emily's bed. "Oh my god…Henry what…wait…stop." Emily tried to halt the fountain with the nappy in her hand. "You done?" She carefully listed the nappy away and then breathed a sigh of relief. Henry just giggled at her. "Find that funny do you?" Emily shook her head at the smiling baby. She grabbed another nappy and taking no chances quickly fixed it on Henry. "Moment of truth then." She lifted him up and couldn't stop the big grin that appreared on her face when the nappy didn't fall off. "Oh yes. Score one for Prentiss." Placing Henry back on the dry patch of her bed she raised his hand up. "High five little man."

She then turned her attention to the new baby grow that was required after the peeing incident. Taking the old one off was easy. She got his arms into the sleeves after a couple of attempts. Then she frowned at the number of poppers. "Do we need this many for one item of clothing?" Slowly she started popping them together. When she reached the middle the frown deepened. Somehow she appeared to have been left with an extra bit of popper. Checking over the rest of the baby grow she found the missed popper and then had to start again on the dressing of Henry. Eventually, she got them all popped.

Lifting him up into her arms she was greeted with a big smile. "See…We can do this. It only took us 20 minutes." She grimaced slightly at how long a simple nappy change had taken. "Remind me to get up extra early if your mom asks me to get you ready in the morning."

"I'll try to remember that." Emily's head shot up to look to the source of the voice. JJ stood in the doorway with a big grin on her face rather reminiscent of the one Henry had been sporting a few moments ago.

"How long have you been watching?" Emily could feel a blush creeping up her cheeks with just what the blonde might have been witness to.

"Since you forgot the basic rule of nappy changes for boys." JJ winked at the brunette. Emily just groaned and tried to hide behind Henry. "Want me to sort his breakfast?"

Emily peeked out from behind the baby and then looked back at him. "Yeah, he has that wicked glint in his eye that you get when you are planning to do something that usually lands us in trouble." Emily handed Henry to the blonde.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Agent Prentiss." JJ tucked her phone back into her pocket.

"Was that your phone?" Seeing the wicked glint in JJ's eyes this time she knew it had been. "Please tell me you didn't take pictures of that?" Emily's brown eyes were pleading with the blonde.

"Of course not." The blonde grinned back at the brunette. As she turned and left to give Henry his breakfast, the brunette overheard a comment that made her bury her head in her hands. "We didn't say anything about videos though did we little one?"


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: Still not mine but I keep hoping.

AN: Many thanks to all those who reviewed. It is greatly appreciated. I'm not 100% happy with this one...teach me to write with a hangover! Hope it's ok. Enjoy :o)

Chapter 28

Emily had suggested that they use the day off to go out and enjoy the sunny weather and forget about recent events. After a short discussion of baby friendly ideas, they had settled on going to the zoo. The day had been a nice break from the usual non-stop stress and horrors that that jobs entailed. Henry had been looking at the animals and making appreciative sounds.

Through the day Emily's mind had begun to wander. She had fantasised about a time coming where she would actually be with the blonde and tell her how she felt. Now she had and there was a big unknown about what the future held. It wasn't a simple case of things having just fallen neatly into place after all. There was a part of Emily that wondered if the blonde really wanted to be with her or if this was just an escape from a life that was turning out bad. Now with Will gone, was the blonde going to stay or would her fears become reality.

They had stopped for a lunch break and were enjoying just watching people passing by. "Em? I've been thinking." Emily felt her throat contract, dreading what the next words to come from the blonde would be. JJ was busy picking at the label on her water bottle as she spoke. "I can move back to my house now and give you your space back." JJ's eyes were focused on the label, a slight frown playing on her face.

Emily sat staring at the blonde for a moment. She tried to speak but no words came out. Swallowing and taking a deep breath she finally managed to formulate words. "Is that what you want?"

JJ drew her lower lip between her teeth and lightly chewed it while she thought. "I know you offered because the only other option was a hotel but it's a huge change for you. I mean it's me and Henry." The blonde stopped in her ramblings when she felt the brunettes hand cover hers.

"Jay, I like having you and Henry around. Is that all that is bothering you?"

There was a moment of quiet between the two women. "What is it that makes somewhere home to you Em?"

The brunette was a bit confused by the seemingly sudden change in conversation. "The people I share it with. The rest of it is just bricks."

"For me it's the place I feel safe. I always used to feel safe at my house but when that was taken from me, you gave me somewhere that was safe."

When JJ stopped talking, Emily prompted her. "But?"

JJ sighed. "I spend all day looking at files about what people do to one another. I make the decisions about which cases to present to the team and which don't get seen. When I'm at home, I need it to be away from all that." She looked up into Emily's eyes at that moment to see if the other woman understood. It wasn't a case of not wanting to stay with Emily but Will had tainted the place that she felt safe. It was now just another reminder of all the pain and suffering that people inflicted on each other.

Emily nodded slightly. She couldn't ignore the sinking feeling at knowing that her home was no longer a refuge for the other woman. "Jayj, do you really want to move back, honestly?" Emily didn't really know why she was asking but part of her needed to know.

"Honestly? No. Having you with me has made me think it is possible to get through this and seeing you with Henry..." The blonde trailed off as a smile played on her lips with the memories of seeing the brunette feeding and changing Henry. Seeing how they interacted gave JJ the hope of having a family one day. "But I can't stay Em." The smile vanished with the statement.

Emily simply nodded her understanding, not trusting her voice to remain steady with any comment she could make. All arguments for why the blonde should stay died in her throat as she couldn't justify the other woman not feeling at peace when at home. After reigning her emotions in again, Emily spoke pleased that her voice didn't reflect the inner turmoil she was experiencing. "Let's enjoy the rest of the day. Hotch was only able to get us one day off."

* * *

When the two women had returned home, JJ had set about feeding Henry. Emily had decided to use the time to collect the remainder of Henry's belongings from the temporary nursery. She placed the clothing and the toys onto the bed in JJ's room before heading back to the couch and mindlessly flicking through the channels on TV.

JJ had gone up to pack the few items she had with her. When she walked into the room and saw that Emily had placed all of the belongings from the other room onto her bed saving her from having to face the scene in the nursery she felt tears well up in her eyes. She knew that leaving was causing a lot of hurt to the brunette but she just couldn't stay in the house where so much was nearly taken from her. The last thing she wanted was to hurt the other woman or to leave her but that was what she was doing. That's when she remembered the promise she had asked Emily to make to her only a short time previously. Emily had promised never to leave her and yet here she was leaving the brunette. As that thought registered, she felt the tears fall.

She eventually got her tears to subside enough to form thoughts coherently again. She knew that she had to make sure that Emily knew that it wasn't so much of a choice but more of a necessity that she was leaving. She had to ensure that the brunette knew that it was just the house that she was leaving and not the other woman. Having only just allowed herself to explore the potential of a relationship with Emily, she wasn't ready to give it up.

She finished putting the clothing into the bag she had open on the bed and then made her way back downstairs.

As she entered the sitting room, brown eyes turned to meet her. "All packed?" The tone was meant to sound breezy but it was obviously forced.

"Yeah." JJ made her way across the room to take a seat next to Emily on the couch. "Em…"

Before the blonde could say more, the brunette placed a finger on her lips to silence her. "Jay, I understand." Emily leant forwards and replaced her finger with her lips. Trying to convey her feelings to the blonde through the connection of flesh. She pulled back slightly, staying close enough that as she spoke her breath ghosted across JJ's skin. "I'm not leaving you. I always keep my promises."

After a few more moments of silence, JJ stood. Her hand trailing over Emily's cheek as she did so. Maintaining contact for as long as she could. She watched as brown eyes drifted shut, as if she was memorising the touch. As JJ's hand lost contact with skin, Emily's eyes opened. "Call me to let me know you get back safe?"

The blonde nodded and knew that she had to leave then or she wouldn't be able to later. She picked up the bag and the car seat containing Henry and then made her way out of Emily's house.

* * *

The silence in the house was instantly noticeable. Emily had tried playing music and watching TV but neither of these actions had served to fill the emptiness that radiated from the house. She understood why JJ couldn't stay in the house. It was now a place that served as a constant reminder of what could have been.

Emily sighed deeply as she shut the TV off. Her gaze fell upon a photo frame of her and JJ. She stood up and picked up the picture. Her finger lightly tracing across the face of the blonde. It was in that moment that she knew what she needed to do. She knew that her future lay with the blonde. To make that possible she would need to find a way to give the blonde a home again. That place that is a refuge from the images and knowledge of the cruel acts people inflict on each other.

She reached over and grabbed her phone, dialling a number from memory. She waited as the answer phone message played. "Hey Clare, it's Emily Prentiss. I'm looking for a new place. If you can let me know what you have on your books at the moment, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks. Hope to hear from you soon." She clicked her phone shut and then sat back to wait for the blonde's call.


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I still don't own them.

AN: Many thanks to all those who have reviewed. Those reviews really do help me write faster. I hope to have at least one more chapter done before I go on holiday next week. Enjoy :o)

Chapter 29

A few days had passed since the blonde had moved back to her own house. They had all been busy with filing reports about the incidents over the previous days and nobody had found much time for socialising. Aside from a few stolen moments for conversations around the break room, none of the team had seen much of JJ. Emily had been out of the offices on several lunches and always left on time.

As Friday came around, Emily headed down to JJ's office. She knocked on the open door. At the sound of the knock, the blonde looked up from the file she was currently trying to read. "Hey." Seeing the brunette standing in the doorway triggered a smile. It felt like forever since she had spent some time with the other woman and truth be told, she sorely missed the company.

"Hey. Are you busy tonight?" Emily shifted between her two feet nervously.

"No, just me and Henry and a date with some cartoons." JJ sat back in her chair and noticed the way Emily was behaving. "Everything ok?" It wasn't normal for the older woman to be nervous about anything and certainly not when they spoke. While it was decidedly cute how she kept playing with her watch strap, it was out of character.

"Yeah, everything is fine. Any chance of us going out tonight…If Henry doesn't mind me stealing his mom for a few hours that is?" Emily offered a smile to the blonde. She didn't want to talk about what was on her mind here and hoped that JJ would agree to her plans for the evening.

"I'll see if Garcia is free." The comment was met by a big grin from the brunette and JJ couldn't help but smile back. There was something infectious about Emily's real smile.

"Great. Thanks Jayj." With that the brunette was out of the office again.

JJ sat looking at the door for a few moments after Emily had left wondering what was going on wth the other woman. Shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts she knew that all would be revealed that night…as long as she could get a baby sitter. She picked up her phone and dialled.

"Hey sugar, business or pleasure?"

"Hey Garcia. Pleasure I guess."

"My my…What would Emily say?" JJ could hear the smile through her friends voice and yet she couldn't stop the blush that had crept across her cheeks.

"I mean…"

"Relax sweetie, I know your heart has a one person holding limit and our brown eyed girl wins that prize. What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you were free tonight to look after Henry?"

"Now there's an offer I can't refuse. He asked me to tell him the story of Goldilocks last time."

"Erm Garcia, he can't talk yet."

"A minor detail. You seem to forget that you are talking to the omniscient goddess of the FBI. A godmother just knows."

"Ok, I'll have to check with Em on the time."

"Not a problem hun. I'll see you later."

As JJ hung up the phone she couldn't help but smile. For the first time in days she was feeling like things were starting to take a turn for the better. After their time at the zoo and moving back to her house, JJ had been concerned that the lack of time Emily spent around the office was because she was avoiding her. They had spoken on the phone almost every night but the worry was still present. There had been so much to deal with in recent times that JJ wouldn't have blamed Emily for wanting to bail.

Looking at her watch, JJ saw she still had another couple of hours to go until she could leave for the day. She tried to turn her attention to the case files covering her desk but found it even more difficult than earlier. In addition to the tiredness caused by the minimal amount of sleep she was getting at the moment, her mind was now racing with possibilities about Emily's changes in behaviour.

* * *

Garcia knocked on JJ's door and waited. It had been a long time since she had been to the younger blonde's house. They used to meet up regularly for movie nights but when Will arrived on the scene, the venue was never at JJ's place. All too often, she would pull out all together leaving just Garcia and Emily. Looking back that had served to give Garcia the insight into her friend that led to the discovery of the brunettes feelings for a certain person.

The door opened to reveal JJ in a bit of a panic. "JJ, you ok?"

"Yeah, I managed to fall asleep on my desk so then I got stuck in traffic and I only got back about half an hour ago and now I'm running really late and Em will be here soon and I haven't even got changed."

"Hold up there! Breathe Jayj. You passing out from lack of oxygen won't help. You go get ready and I'll take care of my godson."

JJ shot an appreciative look to her friend before disappearing upstairs. Garcia watched her go before closing the front door and making her way into the house. At first glance, it appeared the same as always. As she walked into the sitting room, she noticed a dramatic change. Usually JJ's house was very well ordered and distinctly uncluttered. Garcia noticed the blanket and the pillow still on the sofa. There were various items of clothing sitting on the armchair and several take out cartons scattered across the table. Before Garcia had more time to think about it the door bell rang.

"Garcia, could you get it please?" JJ called from upstairs.

Garcia moved to the door and opened it. Emily was standing there. "Hey Em. JJ's still getting ready." She moved aside to allow the other woman to enter.

"Is she ok?"

Garcia understood where the question was coming from. JJ was never late for anything. She was usually the first one to be anywhere. "I'm not sure Em." Seeing the frown creasing the brow of the other woman, Garcia led her towards the sitting room. She didn't say anything but merely gestured to the room.

Emily looked around the scene, taking note of the same things Garcia had.

"Has she said anything to you Em?"

"Not really. She mentioned some nightmares but just brushed over them as if they were no big deal." Emily sighed as she turned to look at her friend. "I should have come by to check on her."

"Em, this isn't your fault. It was inevitable with everything that has happened. You can't tell me that you aren't having nightmares too." Brown eyes looked up, shocked that she had been so easy to read. "I know you Em. When you're not sleeping right then you get clumsy. I just hope that things work out for the two of you soon." She placed her hand gently on the brunettes arm and rubbed it lightly.

JJ came into the room at that moment. "Hey. Sorry I didn't leave the office till late." The earlier flustered side had been lost as soon as blue eyes laid sight on the brunette. There was something calming about the other woman's presence that just seemed to make all of the fears and concerns the blonde felt when on her own fade away. "So where are we off to tonight?"

Emily couldn't help the smile that grew. "That's a surprise. You ready to go?"

The blonde nodded. "I just put Henry down as he was really tired. He will probably wake up later on so I'm sure you can still tell him his story."

"No worries. Now you two kids go and have fun. Leave everything here to me." As Garcia spoke she started to usher the two women out of the door.

As they got into Emily's car, JJ noticed a look of confusion on her companions face. "What's wrong Em?"

"Kids? I'm older than her." JJ couldn't help but laugh.

"Ok, Em…when do I find out what your plans for tonight are?"

Emily looked over at the blonde and smiled. "When we get there." She winked at her before turning her attention to pulling out of JJ's drive.

The drive was filled with light hearted chat interspersed with the odd request for information regarding their destination. Every time JJ tried to find something out, Emily easily deflected the question. The blonde had become stumped as to where they were heading as Emily drove further. They had turned away from the main restaurant areas and were heading further out into the suburbs. Eventually Emily pulled the car up onto a driveway of a house. Turning to the blonde she simply stated, "We're here."

JJ looked from the brunette to the house and then back to the brunette. As she turned her attention back to her she found the other woman had got out of the car. Following suit she got out of the passenger side and walked around to stand beside Emily. "Where exactly is here Em?"

"I'll show you." Emily held her hand out to the blonde. As she felt the warmth of JJ's hand in her own she made her way up the porch steps to the front door. Emily pulled a key out of her pocket and opened the door. She looked around as Emily led her into the house.

"Who's house is it?"

"Mine. Well, it will be once all the paperwork goes through."

JJ turned to face the brunette. "Why? This is even bigger than your current place."

Emily led JJ into the sitting room and sat down on the edge of the fireplace. She waited until the blonde had sat next to her. As she spoke she recaptured one of JJ's hands with her own. "I want there to be a future for us Jay. I knew that when you left my house that you would never be comfortable there and that kind of put a limit on where this, us could go. We both need a fresh start, somewhere without the past memories. Somewhere that we can have a future. So I found this house." Emily looked up into blue eyes. "I don't expect us to move in together right away. I have no intention of rushing our relationship but there's a part of me that tells me one day this will be our home."

JJ could feel the tears prickling behind her eyes as Emily spoke. When other people in her life had hinted at the future, she had always been the first to up and go. With Emily, there wasn't that urge. The thought of a future with the other woman didn't leave her with any reservations or concerns. If anything, it made her feel complete. She realised she must have been sitting in silence for a while when Emily started to speak again.

"There would always be a room here for you and Henry if you needed somewhere to get away from things though."

"Emily Prentiss…You are perhaps the most caring and loving person I have ever met. I want us to have a future too. Why don't you show me the rest of the house?" The smile that spread across the brunette's face was mirrored by the blonde. At that moment, both women forgot about everything that had brought them to this point and all they could see was a future together. JJ stood up and offered her hand to Emily who readily accepted it before showing the other woman the rest of what she hoped would be their future home.


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I'm merely playing.

AN: Big thanks to those who took the time to write me a review or a PM. They were greatly appreciated and motivated me to get this written. This will be the last chapter for a couple of weeks as I'm off on holiday. I'll hopefully get some more done to post on my return. Enjoy :o)

Chapter 30

Emily had excused herself to make a phone call leaving JJ to explore the house. As she walked from room to room she could see a future there. The first room she came across would make a great office. Even though in the past she had never brought any of the files home with her, since having Henry she had started to take work home just so she could leave the office a bit earlier than in days gone by. Having somewhere that would be suitable for work and yet separate from home life would make it better. JJ had always known that when Henry was old enough to start exploring she would need to either stop bringing the files home or have a secure place to lock them away. There was no way that she wanted her son to inadvertently see the images contained within the folders.

Moving along the hall she looked into another room. The bay window had a seat underneath it. She could imagine how much light came into the room in the day. As she looked at the room she couldn't help but notice the image of a daughter sitting in the window that appeared in her mind.

The next room along would make a lovely nursery and when he got older, a perfect bedroom for Henry. JJ found two more rooms aside from the bathrooms along the hallway. The master bedroom was stunning. It overlooked the garden at the back of the house. As she stood there looking at the room, she couldn't help but imagine waking up beside Emily as the sunlight streamed in over the trees in their garden. A smile crept across her face. For the first time in a long time, thinking about her future didn't fill her with questions or doubts.

Having finished her exploration of the house, JJ went to find where Emily had gone. "Em?"

"Out here Jayj." The voice came from out on the back porch. The blonde made her way through the kitchen and opened the back door. The sight that greeted her rendered her speechless. "Hey, I hope you are hungry." Emily smiled at the look of shock on JJ's face. When she had left the blonde exploring the upstairs of the house, she had gone to her car and taken a few things from the boot. Now there were candles lining the railing of the porch, leading down the steps into the garden. At the end of the steps was a blanket and a selection of take out cartons. "I thought we could have dinner." Emily smiled at the blonde from her position on the blanket.

JJ walked down the steps and took a seat next to the brunette. "Em, this is amazing." She looked over at her companion and mirrored the smile on her face.

"You like it then?"

JJ could tell Emily was nervous about it as she kept playing with a thread on the blanket. "Depends what it you are referring to. If you mean the food then yes. If you mean the house then very much so. Or if you mean…" JJ gestured to the scene surrounding them. "…This…well, I could get used to this." She winked at Emily with the last comment. "I love the whole package Em." JJ watched as a big smile appeared on the older woman's face. All of the tensions and concerns of the previous few weeks just seemed to fade away with that smile, leaving just contentment. For a moment, neither woman broke the eye contact.

"I wasn't sure what you were in the mood for tonight so I got a bit of everything." Emily broke the gaze to look at the various containers of food.

"How did you organise this anyway? Most realtors don't just give keys out."

"It's been empty for a while. I think the realtor was just pleased to have someone interested and when she found out it was a cash purchase…Well, she was happy to do everything she could to make the sale." Emily smiled shyly.

The two women settled into a companionable silence as they ate. Every so often one would cast a glance at the other. After they had finished eating, JJ moved to lie with her head on Emily's lap. As she lay there looking up at the stars, Emily ran her hand through blonde hair. "I miss this when we are away in a city for a case."

"Miss what?"

"Look up Em. In the city, you can't see many stars at all. Even here, there aren't that many." JJ watched as Emily turned her attention towards the starlit sky. "I used to spend hours looking up when I was growing up. When things started to feel too small and claustrophobic, I'd go out and look up at the stars and it would remind me just how much there is out there that I had yet to experience. It always made me feel at peace with everything."

Emily turned her chocolate eyes back to meet blue. "I used to take comfort in the night sky as a kid too. We'd travel all over and everything changed. The one thing I could always rely on was that I'd be able to look up and see the stars. The positions might shift slightly but they were always there."

"You have a bit more to rely on now. You have your family and you have me." She watched as Emily smiled. JJ reached her hand up to the back of Emily's neck and guided the brunette down to meet her lips. As they kissed Emily let her hand cup JJ's cheek, her thumb sliding across her cheekbone. They broke apart as JJ tried to stifle a yawn.

A serious look crossed Emily's face as she studied the blonde's features. "I should get you back. You're not sleeping well are you Jay?" Her eyes reflected the sadness at the realisation that all her efforts could not stop the current situation.

JJ propped herself up on one arm so she was able to meet Emily's gaze at the same level. She reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair that had fallen across the brunette's cheek back. Her hand lingered against the soft flesh. "I'm just having some bad dreams. I'll be ok."

Emily nodded. She wanted nothing more than to stop the nightmares but she knew all too well that some things just took time. Seeing the blonde yawn again, she stood and offered her hand to the younger woman. "Come on, lets get you home." The two women packed away the cartons, blanket and candles before heading back to the car.

* * *

"Ok, little man…What's this crying for?" Garcia held Henry and gently rocked him. He'd woken up a while ago and just wouldn't settle. A very unusual behaviour for him. Normally he was such a quiet baby. There had been several occasions when babysitting for him that she hadn't heard a peep from him for the whole night.

"We've tried food, diaper changes and mobiles. I guess that means it's time for the big guns." Henry quietened down a bit as she spoke, almost like he was listening to her words. "It's time for a story. Sound good little guy?"

Henry sniffled in response. While not the normal Henry behaviour, it was certainly a lot better than the full on screaming that he had been doing. Garcia sat in the chair by the window and settled Henry so he was lying against her.

"Only question is which story do you want to hear? How about the three little pigs?" Garcia looked into big blue eyes. "No? Ok, Jack and the beanstalk?" Henry still just looked back. "Hmm, oh I know…How about Goldilocks and the three bears?" He giggled at this suggestion. "I'll take that as a yes. You know you need to work on this talking thing soon. It'll make this a lot easier. Omniscient I may be but baby talk is not my forte." Her only response was a little hand reaching up and a palm being splatted against the lens of her glasses.

"Ok, I'll take that as you being ready. Once upon a time there was a young girl called Goldilocks. Now just like all children in these stories she too went walking through the forest without parental supervision. An unwise decision considering she didn't have her GPS watch as her parents had told her it was too expensive a birthday present. However, what the books don't tell you is that Goldilocks wasn't in the woods for a nice summer stroll.

As she was walking through the woods, she came across a small house. Now Goldilocks had previously been cautioned by the village police for trespassing but all thoughts of private property were lost from her mind. She walked over to the door and knocked. When nobody answered, instead of walking away like any well behaved child, she tried the door and it opened. Now some people will argue that the owners of the house were asking for trouble by leaving the door unlocked. After all, they did not live in a neighbourhood watch area and surely they had seen the advertising campaigns on TV alerting them to the problems of opportunist thieves.

When the door opened, Goldilocks stood on the step for a moment and looked around. She gave a quick check for CCTV cameras in the area and saw none. Deciding that it was not some sting operation to catch potential thieves wandering the woods, she walked into the cottage.

When she was in the cottage, she started to look around. She noticed the flat screen TV but realised there was no way she could carry it out of the house alone. She made a mental note to come back with the Goldi Crew later and clear out the high end electricals. After carrying out a thorough survey of the downstairs she felt her stomach rumble. After all, a life of crime does make you work up an appetite. That was when she saw the bowls of porridge on the table.

Normally, she wasn't a porridge kind of girl. After all, it was the middle of the afternoon and porridge was always more of a breakfast food to her. She shrugged and tasted the first bowl.

"This porridge is too hot!" She exclaimed. Obviously breaking and entering and petty theft were not the sum total of Goldilocks problems. The talking to herself thing had become more frequent in recent times. If her parents had been paying attention to her rather than spending all of their time at the tennis club and thinking money solved all, they would have noticed the attention seeking behaviour of their daughter. Perhaps they could have intervened and got her psychiatric help for her obvious problems.

She tried the second bowl. "This porridge is too cold!" She exclaimed to the voices in her head again.

Moving to the third bowl, she tried it. "This porridge is just right." She then ate the whole bowl. After a moment of thought, she realised that since the first bowl had been two hot and she had left it sitting for a while as she tried the others, it was safe to say it had cooled down. So rather than waste the other bowl she went back to the first and ate that one too.

Deciding that she needed to wait for a while for her stolen food to settle in her stomach, she went into the sitting room. She tried sitting in the first chair but found it too big. She then tried the second chair which she also found too big. The third chair was just right but as she sat back and put her feet up on the coffee table, the little chair gave way and splintered into tiny pieces. She stood and looked at the broken chair and briefly considered suing the owners of the house for personal injury. She was sure her lawyer would be able to give her the pointers on how to act injured and get a decent payout. The thought of destruction of private property as another charge to her list of misdemeanours didn't even enter her mind.

She decided that she would investigate upstairs and see if the owners of the house had any decent jewellery. When she got there she noticed the beds and couldn't help the yawn that escaped. The first bed was too hard. The second bed was too soft. Now we have to question why there were three beds for a seemingly happy family. Were the husband and wife having marital difficulties or was a purely for orthopaedic reasons that they needed separate beds? The third bed was just right and she broke the cardinal rule of any petty criminal…Never fall asleep at the scene!

Little did Goldilocks know but not long after she fell asleep after a hard day of vandalism, theft and breaking and entering the owners of the house came home. Now three bears lived in the house. How and when bears learnt to live in houses and make porridge with their lack of opposable thumbs and all is a detail that we are just expected to ignore. Anyway…The three bears walked into the house and then they spoke but I'm sure it was more of a growl as lets face it little man, bears and talking…Outside of cartoons it just doesn't happen.

After discovering their food had been eaten and the chairs sat in and destroyed, they went upstairs to check for further acts of vandalism. When they reached the bedroom they saw the little girl in the smallest bed.

It was at this moment that Goldilocks woke up and saw the three bears. A terrifying sight as you can imagine. Not only had she been caught at the scene of her latest crime spree but now the owners had seen her face ruining her opportunity to come back with her gang later and finish clearing the house. Now she could be identified in a police line up. She screamed and ran out of the house. Thoughts of juvenile detention centres flashing through her mind.

She never returned to the three bears house as she was sentenced to six months in a juvenile detention facility. It turned out that she hadn't been watching all the crime shows on TV to know about fingerprints and DNA evidence. It was here that the guards noticed her tendency to talk to herself about the strangest things and sent her for a psych evaluation. When it came back, she was detained in a secure psychiatric facility where she remained for many years."

Looking down, she noticed that Henry had fallen fast asleep with his hand wrapped around Garcia's thumb. She gently lifted him up and placed him in his crib, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight Henry." As she turned she nearly screamed. Standing in the doorway to the nursery were JJ and Emily. Emily was standing behind JJ with her arms wrapped around her waist. Both women had identical smiles. "You two almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry. We got back and didn't want to disturb you. Henry never seems to get to the end but I wanted to know how it turned out." JJ winked at her friend.

"You should write a book Garcia." Emily commented as they were ushered away from the room.

"Next time…make a noise or something. As for a book…These are just for my godson." As they got back downstairs, the three women chatted for a few minutes before Garcia excused herself and headed home. As JJ returned from seeing Garcia out, she sat next to Emily on the couch snuggling up against her side.

"Are you sleeping down here Jayj?" Emily asked as her hand traced random patterns across the skin of JJ's upper arm.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I can't sleep upstairs." She yawned again as she spoke. "It's a bit easier here." Emily noticed JJ struggling to keep her eyes open.

"I should go." Emily started to make a move to leave but was stopped by the blonde tightening her grip.

"Stay. Please?" She looked down into pleading blue eyes and couldn't refuse.

"Ok." She rearranged herself so that her back was against the back of the couch and waited as JJ cuddled into her. Emily pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and lay is across the two of them before wrapping her arm around the blonde and holding her close. "You get some sleep Jay." She placed a kiss against the back of her head. It wasn't long before she felt the blonde's breathing become deeper signalling her sleep. She felt her own eyes drifting shut. Just before sleep claimed her for the night she quietly mumbled to the sleeping form pressed against her. "I love you Jayj."

* * *

AN: There you go. I thought I'd do the full Garcia tale this time. I hope it lived up to expectations ;o). Hopefully see you all again in a little over 2 weeks. :o)


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I still don't own them.

AN: Well, here's the next chapter. Apologies for the delay but things have been a bit hectic since I got home. I'm not 100% happy with this chapter but I hope it hasn't lost the flow of the story.

Chapter 31

Emily woke up the next morning feeling very stiff. She shifted slightly, feeling her neck crack as she moved it, before having to catch herself from falling off the edge. The first thought that ran through her head was how she had managed to get so close to the edge of her bed. Slowly she opened her eyes and instead of being greeted by the sight of her bedroom, she saw a TV and armchair. Frowning slightly at the currently unfamiliar surroundings she sat up and stretched out her back feeling it click into place once more. It was as she looked around the room from her sitting position that she realised where she was.

"Morning Em." JJ's voice came from behind her. As she turned she noticed the reason that she had woken alone. Perched on the blonde's right hip was Henry and in her left hand were two mugs. "Hope you slept ok." The blonde said as she walked across the room to place the mugs down on the coffee table.

"Yeah thanks. You?" Emily cast an appraising glance over the younger woman. She knew that sleep had not come easily for the other woman in recent days. The way her eyes were always slightly bloodshot and the dark circles were still evident under the make-up told her that. As she looked at her today though, she did seem far more relaxed and less tired than she had seen the blonde for quite some time.

"I did." There was a slight pause as JJ sat next to the brunette. She shifted Henry so that he was sitting on her lap. "Thanks to you." She added quietly.

"Me?" Surprise was evident in Emily's voice.

JJ started to pick at some invisible fluff on Henry's top. "You make me feel safe so no nightmares."

Emily was pleased that the blonde had chosen to admit the problem she was having sleeping. Upon hearing the admission of feeling safe with her, Emily felt a rush of happiness course through her. She'd always had the underlying desire to try to protect the younger woman. Garcia had even commented upon it on more than one occasion. Emily couldn't help but think back to the conversation she'd had with the quirky blonde all those weeks ago.

_The two women were sitting in the bar one night following a case. Morgan was on the dance floor and JJ was beating some guys at darts. "I can't help it if she's there with us as we enter a scene, I just have to take point."_

"_Why Em?" _

"_Because I don't want anything to happen to her. Everytime part of my mind flashes back to one of the first cases I worked with the team and finding her in that barn." She trailed off slightly as the images flashed in her mind once more. "I never want to see her that lost again." _

"_You know she's the best shot out of the lot of you right?" _

"_Yeah but I don't want her to turn a corner and have some psycho waiting and then…" Her voice trailed off as she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "Doesn't matter how great a shot you are if you don't see it coming." _

_The two women sat quietly for a moment. Emily was watching as JJ celebrated yet another win against the guys that were looking only slightly peeved at being beaten for the second game in a row. Garcia keep her focus on the brunette in front of her. _

"_Is that all there is to it?" Garcia leant forward on the table separating them, her chin resting on her hand as she searched her friends face. _

"_Ok I admit it. I'd love to be the one to keep her safe from anything that could bring her harm or unhappiness." Emily looked up to meet her friends gaze. "But you knew that already being the goddess of all knowledge and gossip." _

"_Very true." She paused for a moment to cast a quick glance across at her friend. "You're her white knight you know." _

_Emily raised her eyebrow at the strange comment. _

"_Like in fairytales. You'll be the one to ride in and save the heroine from danger." She paused to take another sip of her drink. "Except, unless you have been keeping some pretty big secrets from me, you have way better dress sense than leggings and tunics." Garcia grinned as Emily burst into laughter at the image. _

"Em, can I ask you something?" JJ's voice broke into Emily's thoughts and brought her back to the present.

"Sure."

"How did you see your future?"

Emily was taken back by the unexpected question. She took a moment to think about her answer. She reached over to pick up her mug of coffee as she thought. "I was never one for trying to picture the future. When I was younger it was too unknown from one week to the next, never knowing how long I'd be in one place. When I was a bit older, I figured I'd settle down in Europe and go to school there." She paused for a moment as the thoughts of all those years ago resurfaced. It had all seemed so simple then. She'd figured that her life was sorted and she had finally found somewhere to call home. "I guess all I really saw in my future after that was getting into the BAU."

"Why was that so important to you Em? It's not a job that many people really want to do when they find out more about it."

Emily sighed deeply and fidgeted with the handle of her mug as she spoke. "Remember I told you about Nicole?" She saw JJ nod out of the corner of her eye. "The man that did that killed five women, Nicole was his penultimate victim. They didn't have the skills to identify him earlier." Emily drew in a shaky breath. She never spoke about her reasons for being so driven to join the BAU as she had never felt secure enough to allow someone that close. It had taken a further year after Nicole had died for the police to arrest the man. There had been no more attacks after Nicole's for 4 years and at the time the press and police had assumed that the man had either died or left the country. It came to light after the 5th murder that the real reason for his absence was a jail sentence for an unrelated crime. "After his trial and conviction, I decided that my future lay in a career where I could stop others from going through what I did. I wanted to find a way to catch these unsubs before they could do more damage. So I made it my goal to join the BAU."

It was only as she finished talking that Emily noticed at some point JJ had taken one of her hands in her own. She could feel her thumb gently brushing against the back of her hand in a comforting gesture.

The two women sat quietly for a moment, both thinking about what had just been said. "What do you see as your future now?"

Emily couldn't help the slight smile that graced her lips as she thought about the question. She had always assumed that her whole future would be focused on solving crimes. Being driven by work at the BAU and dedicating all her time to that. She had not counted upon meeting SSA Jennifer Jareau on her first day in Hotch's office. As soon as she had laid eyes on the blonde, the future that had been filled with images of the darkest actions of human nature had been interspersed with hints of light. As she got to know the other woman better, the darker images became fewer as daydreams replaced the nightmares. Daydreams of a future with the blonde that had given her hope that maybe there was something more in her future. Then Will had happened. Standing in that Florida police station and watching as that future she had imagined shattered into a thousand shards as JJ went to him. Now? Now she didn't know. Her hopes and dreams had started to reappear, only this time it was with both JJ and Henry. She had a family in her dreams now. Yet these were dreams that the brunette wanted to keep buried deeper than those that had just featured the blonde. Having a family was something Emily wanted more than anything. She had struggled to get through losing JJ the first time. If she actually got to be with JJ, have a family with Henry, to lose that would be unbearable. It was the fear of losing everything she so desperately wanted that kept them buried so deep within her. Yet here was the woman of her dreams asking her what she saw in her future.

"I'm not sure." The answer sounded weak even to her own ears. "You?" She hoped the blonde would accept her deflection and not press her for a real answer.

JJ looked at the brunette for a moment, a slight frown furrowing her brow. To Emily it almost appeared as though she was having an argument with herself. It was the same look JJ got when she was trying to decide whether or not to press a witness for answers they didn't want to give. Finally, she spoke. "It depends."

"On?" Emily prompted when no further answer was forthcoming.

"You."

"Me?" Emily looked into blue eyes and saw the apprehension about what she was saying.

JJ reached over to take the mug from Emily's hand before placing it back on the table. She then took both of the brunette's hands in her own. "I want a future, a family…with you Em." Her voice then dropped to a much quieter and less sure tone. "If you want it."

Emily couldn't stop the smile that spread across her lips at that point. Her own insecurities were momentarily silenced. "I do."

JJ smiled to herself at hearing those words uttered from the brunette's lips as memories of her dream last night came back to her. Every night since returning to her house, her nights were filled with nightmares and the alternative outcomes. It was the reason she hadn't been sleeping much the past week. Last night had been different and the only change in circumstances was that she had slept in Emily's arms. Last nights dreams had left her rested and allowed her to wake with a smile.

_The sun was shining through the window she stood by, a rainbow was being cast across the floor. JJ recognised it as the master bedroom at the house they had viewed. Except now it was decorated in warm earthy tones and had a feel of home to it. She looked at her hand and saw a beautiful diamond ring upon her finger. She was mesmerised by watching how the light reflected off it as she moved her hand gently in the morning light. Just then a crash pulled her out of her thoughts._

"_Come on Jayj! You should be ready by now or at least getting ready. We have to be there in a couple of hours." Garcia rushed into the room and started rummaging through the closet. She watched as her friend emerged with a white dress in her hands. Garcia hung it onto the door before turning to her friend. "Ready?"_

_She smiled. She was ready, more than ready. Today she would marry the woman she loved. _

She had woken before the dream had progressed further but it was as she opened her eyes that she realised that was one dream that she wanted to become a reality.


	32. Chapter 32

* * *

Disclaimer: Still not mine, I'm just playing.

AN: Thank you to all those who have reviewed. Apologies for the delay in this chapter…I haven't abandoned the story. Life has been a bit mad lately. Biggest problem was I moved to my new house and had to wait for BT to actually push a button to activate the phone line...Apparently that takes over a month! Grrr! I'm now back with the internet and I get a couple of weeks holiday after next week I hope to get a few more updates done. I hope someone is still reading! If you are...Enjoy :o)

Chapter 32

The team had been called in for an urgent case in Florida later that day bringing the relaxing day to an end. As they sat on the jet, Emily couldn't help but steal the occasional glance at JJ who was sitting opposite her.

"Miami PD have had a series of disappearances of children. Jessica Wood went missing on June 14th 2000 at the age of 13. She was found on June 20th 2001 but had only been dead for about a week. Hayley Jenkins vanished on June 14th 2001 and was found dead in July 2003. ME put her time of death around mid-June 2003. Rachel McElroy vanished 14th June 2003 and was found in September 2005 but again time of death is around June of that year. Holly Spicer went missing the same date in 2005 and Freya James vanished in 2008. This morning Clare Livings never came home from visiting a friend. The amber alert is out but so far there have been no sightings."

"All if the victims are between the ages of 12 and 13 and all are blonde haired. It appears that the unsub keeps them for a certain period of time before disposing of them and getting a replacement. There are signs of sexual assault in all cases." Hotch added once JJ had finished her brief.

"At the moment there is no pattern to either the abduction sites or the location of the body dumps."

"It goes without saying that we need to work as quickly as possible on this. If we fail to find anything now then we might have to wait another year or more until the next child is abducted." Hotch didn't need to add that if that happened, they would also be looking for the body of the latest victim. "Morgan, Rossi…I want you two to head to the scene of the last abduction. JJ and Prentiss, go and visit the family and the friend that she stayed with the night before. Reid, you're with me at the station working on a geographical profile."

As the plane landed, the team all headed to their nominated destinations.

* * *

"What have you got?" Hotch asked as Rossi and Morgan joined them in the conference room.

"Nothing suspicious at the scene. People might have seen her walking along but nobody remembers anything out of the ordinary."

"She left her friends house this morning at 10am and should have been home about 20 minutes later. She never showed up. Parents raised the alarm at 11am after checking the area and calling her cell." Emily added.

"The victims have been abducted over a wide area and the bodies all dumped in the Big Cypress National Preserve. It is most likely that the unsub is using highway 41 based on the location of the bodies." Reid added.

"Garcia, did you get anything on the cameras?" Hotch turned his attention to the computer monitor on the desk.

"Nothing. Whatever route she took, it didn't go near any of the cameras in the area."

"Ok, lets present what we have." Hotch stood and led the rest of the team into the main precinct to present the profile to the assembled officers.

"The unsub you are looking for is a Caucasian male who is probably in his early to mid-30's." Hotch started the profile.

"It is quite likely that he will have a criminal record. Someone like this will have been showing an interest in children for a long time. Check for peeping toms and other more minor offences pre-dating the first abduction." Rossi continued.

"He will probably hold a job that allows for close contact with children. Teachers, sport coaches and so on are possible careers. Since there is no evidence of a struggle or disturbance we can assume that the children are going willingly with the unsub. Holding a position of trust would provide him with this access." Morgan added.

"He will be involved in lots of community projects. You are not looking for a loner. This will be someone who you might know and would imagine they are capable of these acts because they are so driven to help the community. Chances are his drive comes from the links it provides him to meet and associate with children without drawing attention." Emily continued.

"He is intelligent. He has managed to abduct and kill children over 9 years and not be caught. We know that he keeps them for long periods of time so he will have somewhere that is secluded to keep these girls. The fact that he always abducts on the 14th June suggests that this date holds some significance to the unsub. It is likely that an event that happened on this day triggered the change in behaviour."

"While the child is not killed within a short space of time, it is still imperative that we find Clare as soon as possible. He is very successful at staying hidden and if we don't find the unsub soon, chances are we will be waiting for the next abduction." Hotch completed the profile.

* * *

The team spent the next few hours reading through the case files for all sex offenders that were listed. They had been able to narrow down the list due to the specific preference for age and appearance but it still left them with a large number of suspects.

"All nineteen registered offenders are accounted for so he hasn't been convicted of a crime serious enough to warrant being on the register." Morgan reported back after closing the final file in front of him.

"We'll get the records of minor offences for the morning, there's nothing more we can do tonight." Hotch dismissed his team. Slowly they departed from the station to head over to the hotel.

Not long after arriving in her room, Emily heard a knock on her door. When she opened it, she was greeted by the sight of JJ. "Hey." She stood back to allow the younger woman into the room. "You ok?" She asked as she turned having closed the door.

"Yeah."

Emily took a seat next to JJ on the bed. "You sure?" She regarded the other woman with concern. It had been a tough time recently and she knew that cases involving kids always hit the blonde harder than others.

"I just can't stop thinking about it all. About what it must be like to be taken from your family and kept somewhere for so long and…" Her voice trailed off but she didn't need to finish her sentence.

"We'll find him Jayj and Clare will be returned to her parents." Emily couldn't help but allow her gaze to fall onto the picture of the young girl now taped to the mirror at the side of the room. The two women were quiet for a moment, both considering what the next days would bring. "Jayj…Do you want to stay here tonight?" JJ turned blue eyes to meet brown. Immediately Emily realised that the blonde had interpreted her question as a suggestion of weakness on her part. "I know I won't sleep on my own…My mind won't stop." Emily clarified.

"I'd like that." JJ finally answered. "I'll just get my bag." Emily watched as the blonde stood.

Just before she left the room, Emily commented to her. "Just don't let Morgan see you or he'll never let it drop." JJ smiled back and headed out of the room to collect her bag.

* * *

JJ woke to find herself wrapped safely in Emily's arms. She smiled to herself and tried to stretch without disturbing the other woman. She knew she had failed in her task when she felt a gentle kiss on her shoulder. "Morning, did I wake you?"

"Mmmm, no. I was sort of awake anyway."

"I could get used to waking up like this."

"Good." Emily placed another kiss on her shoulder before rolling onto her back and stretching. "What time is it?"

JJ looked over at the clock on the nightstand. "6."

"You want the first shower?" Emily asked. As she watched JJ turned onto her back and yawned.

"Do you mind?"

"Not at all. Gives me a few more minutes sleep." Emily grinned back at the blonde. JJ nudged the grinning brunette with her elbow.

"I see how this one will go." She stood from the bed and made her way to the bathroom. She stopped just before vanishing around the door frame. "You do know that when we live together then Henry will put an end to any idea of sleeping in right?"

Emily groaned in mock protest. "You'll just have to find a way to reward me for getting up early." She winked at the blonde and watched a slight blush appear on her face. Relaxing back onto the bed she heard the shower turn on.

* * *

It took the team nine days to locate the unsub. It had taken endless days of searching through old case files and filtering the calls that came into the tip line. Every time someone had called in a possible sighting of the young girl, hopes had been raised and yet on so many occasions they had later been shattered when it turned out to be just someone who looked similar.

It was only when Garcia had cross checked crimes from several years prior to the first case with employment records for anyone involved in jobs with children that she turned up a name that the detective in charge recognised. Damon Mitchell was a magician that specialised in children's parties. There had been allegations made about him when he had been in his late teens but there hadn't been sufficient evidence to pursue a conviction. It was only because the detective had worked the case as a rookie that he remembered the name. When the team had arrived at the house they found nothing of note on an initial search. It was only after JJ had stepped out into the back yard to take a call from Garcia that she had noticed an unusual trap door set towards the back of the yard.

_Flashback…_

"_I know it seemed right but we have been all over the place and there's nothing. No sign of him or Claire." JJ stopped her conversation as her eyes fell on a trap door towards the rear of the yard, partially hidden by the trees and bushes. "Garcia? Is there any possibility of a bomb shelter having been installed here?" _

_There was quiet on the end of the phone as Garcia typed in her searches. "Nope. Nadda. House was built in the late 1980's so unless he was really anti-John Hughes movies really no need for one." _

_JJ made her way over to the trap door. She hung up her phone and unholstered her gun. As she approached the door she checked the area. The door was metal and looked in good condition. The padlock that normally held it closed was lying off to one side and the bolt was open. JJ spoke quietly into her radio. "Guys, out back we have a trap door." She waited until the team had joined her. _

_Morgan took position to open the door on the signal. Hotch took the other side. Emily was in position to take point. Hotch counted down silently from 3. As he reached 0, Morgan pulled the door open and as soon as they had cleared the entrance, Emily descended the ladder into a small tunnel. JJ followed and they found themselves standing in a confined area. The rest of the team remained outside the trap door due to the confined space. The two agents made their way along the tunnel, both having to stoop to get along the path initially. As the turned the first corner the narrow tunnel opened out into a large chamber. It had been reinforced with concrete and steel pillars and beams. They glanced at each other as they took the scene in. The room had a table and chairs on one side with a small couch on the other. There was even a bookcase with several books against one of the walls. It gave the impression of almost a home. A thought which disturbed the two agents. _

_JJ signalled to the far side where another corridor began. Emily moved to the left side and waited for JJ to join her to the right of the corridor. Emily was first to round the corner with JJ in close pursuit. The corridor opened out into another room. This time the sight that greeted them was of a make-shift bedroom. On one side was Claire and standing behind her with a knife to her throat was the unsub. "Damon Mitchell. FBI. Put the knife down and move away from the girl." Emily stated while keeping her gun trained on him as best she could. _

"_You can't have her." _

_JJ had moved slowly from behind Emily to try to get a clear shot of the unsub from the side. Emily saw what JJ was planning and took a step in the opposite direction, knowing that unless he worked out their plan, he would end up giving one of them a clear shot. "We're not here to take her. We just want to talk." Emily watched him carefully for any sign that he had worked out their plan. "Just put the knife down so we can all talk."_

"_No. You'll take her from me if I do that." He tightened his grip around her, making her gasp in pain._

"_If you're not careful you might lose her because you might accidentally hurt her. Look at her neck." Emily kept her voice calm and even. Trying to maintain his focus. She watched as he turned his attention to the young girl's neck. The shock that registered as he saw the thin line of blood where the knife had created a slight cut in the skin gave JJ the chance she needed. She steadied her aim and then took her shot. The bullet hit it's mark perfectly and he dropped the knife as the bullet pierced his shoulder. Emily then moved forward, tackling him to the floor while JJ moved Claire away from him. _

It was only after they had explored the underground complex that the true reality of what had happened to the girls that had been taken over the years had been revealed. The images and descriptions of what had happened there would stay with all of the team in their nightmares.

* * *

"Arrrggghhhh!" JJ rushed into the other room at the sound of Emily's cry, not sure what to expect. The sight that greeted her left her smiling. Emily was standing facing the doorway with a deep frown on her face, the paintbrush hung in one hand and there was quite possibly more paint on the brunette than on the wall.

"Problem Em?" JJ moved across the room to be closer to the other woman.

"I don't get it. Look at it! It's all wonky and patchy." She paused and took in the sight of her girlfriend. "Have you actually been painting? You have no paint on you."

JJ couldn't help but laugh. "Yes Em but I've had a bit more practice than you."

"This is what decorators are for you know." She huffed as she lifted her arm to wipe her brow.

"Em…" Before the blonde could finish her sentence to warn the other woman about the paint on her hand, Emily ran her hand across her head, leaving a large streak across her forehead. The blonde suppressed the laugh that was building at the sight. "You have a little paint there." She gestured to the brunette's forehead.

Emily walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. "A little?"

JJ walked across the room to lean against the frame as she watched the other woman clean some of the paint off her head.

"I think a little was an underestimate Jayj." She watched the blonde as she shrugged slightly in the doorway with a smile across her lips. Emily looked back at herself and decided that it was as good as it was going to get.

"Want me to show you again?" JJ asked as the brunette came to stand in front of her.

"Can't I just call the decorators that did my condo?" JJ just shook her head and held her hand out to the other woman. "I don't mind paying them, it'll be worth it."

"Nope, we're going to do this ourselves Em." She paused what she was saying and then a smile graced her lips that put decorating to the back of Emily's mind. "I'm sure I can work out some kind of rewards program for you if you need some incentive."

Emily took the proffered hand and followed the blonde back into the bedroom. "Ok, so first thing to remember is not to have too much paint on your brush when you do the cutting in."

JJ reached down and took the brush Emily had dipped it in the paint before handing it back to the brunette. "Just keep your hand steady and follow the line of the frame." Emily painted a section but the frown reappeared.

"It's still wobbly." She felt the blonde step closer behind her, one hand was placed on her left hip, the other wrapped around her hand with the brush. She felt the blonde's breath on her neck as she spoke.

"Think about it being similar to being on the range. You line it up and then just keep your breathing slow and steady and then move your hand nice and slowly." As she spoke, JJ moved their hands together. "Just keep your eye on the line you are following." She moved their hands back before repeating the action after reapplying some paint. "Just remember to keep your hand moving slowly." JJ gently released her grip on Emily's hand and watched as Emily continued to paint a perfectly straight line. "Told you that you could do it." She watched as Emily looked at what she had done and smiled. JJ brushed the brunette's hair to one side and gently kissed the back of her neck.

"Is that my reward?" Emily's voice was huskier than usual as she spoke. She felt the blonde smile against her neck.

"For that bit. Now if you manage to get the rest done I'm sure I can think of something better for the next reward."

"Like what?" Emily leant back into the blonde's body, giving full body contact between the two.

"You'll just have to finish and find out."

Emily turned herself ensuring she kept contact with the younger woman, a pout on her lips. "Can't you just tell me now?" JJ leant forward to close the remaining space between them and captured the brunette's lips in a kiss that promised much more.

"You'll find out later but that should give you some ideas."

"And you expect me to concentrate on painting carefully and slowly with those images how exactly?" Emily's eyes sparkled giving away the fact that she wasn't really too worried about being able to pull it off.

"That's for you to work out." JJ reached her hand up to draw Emily into another passionate kiss. "Time for work." She pulled away and made her way out of the room, smiling as she noticed Emily returning to her painting before she'd even got to the door.


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews and messages. They are much appreciated. Ok, this one is rated M people. It's my first attempt at anything above a PG-13 kind of rating so be nice. Enjoy! :o)

Chapter 33

Emily stood back to look at her work. It might have taken her a few hours but the room was done. The incentive of what her reward might be from the blonde had spurred her on, despite her rocky start. She made her way downstairs to wash her brushes out before going to find the younger woman. As she stood at the sink watching the paint run down the drain, she let her mind wander to thoughts of the other agent. She remembered the first time she laid on her while in Hotch's office. Until that point her determination to keep fighting had started to fail. When she turned and saw JJ in the office door, something happened that reignited her fire to keep fighting for her place on the team. All her doubts had been pushed aside even after Hotch's dismissal and being left standing in his office door. It was then that she made the decision to prove to him why she deserved a place on the team, paper work error or not. A decision that she was glad she had made now.

Emily was startled out of her thoughts by the feeling of arms wrapping around her waist. Moments later she felt the warmth of lips connecting with the skin on her neck. As the blonde spoke her breath ghosted across her skin. "What are you thinking?"

Emily couldn't help but smile at the closeness of the other woman. "Just that I made some good career choices."

JJ new where the brunette's thoughts had been from that statement. "How'd the painting go?"

Emily could feel JJ's smile against her neck as the words were spoken. She didn't need to see the blonde's face to know that one of her eyebrows would be raised slightly. "Agent Jareau are you telling me that you didn't check it out before asking the question?"

"Of course not."

Emily turned around in the blonde's embrace until they were standing face to face. She brought her arms up to rest on the younger woman's hips. Her deep brown eyes locked onto blue, searching for an answer to an unspoken question. "So you haven't looked then?"

The blonde tried to keep a straight face as she answered but the mischievous glint in her eyes gave her true answer away. "Nope." She fought to keep the smile off her face.

The brunette couldn't resist the challenge clearly evident in her counterparts blue eyes. She allowed her thumbs to slide up under JJ's t-shirt, gently caressing the skin at the top of her jeans. "I'm not sure I believe that."

JJ feigned innocence and put on her best hurt look. "You don't believe your own girlfriend?"

"Nope. I used my highly tuned profiler skills to deduce that you're not being 100% honest with me." She let her hands slide further up under JJ's top, slowly dragging her nails lightly up the exposed skin. She watched as JJ's eyes darkened slightly.

"Are you telling me that my media liaison abilities to only let people know what I want them to have failed?" The blonde's hands had started to trace random patterns across Emily's back as she spoke.

"You know I could easily get the truth from you." Emily raised an eyebrow and a cheeky grin spread across her lips.

"How do you plan to do that then?"

"Like this." The brunette then slid her hands around from JJ's back to her ribs and started to tickle her. At the same time she took a couple of steps and swapped their positions so that the blonde's back was pressed against the sink, giving her nowhere to run to.

JJ squealed as soon as the tickling began and she tried her best to twist and turn out of the brunette's grasp. "Oh god. Em. Stop." She managed between her gasping for breath. Emily kept up her assault on the blonde's ribs while keeping JJ from squirming away with the rest of her body.

"Only if you admit that you looked."

JJ tried to resist for as long as possible but when she realised that Emily wouldn't stop until she admitted it, she caved. "Ok. Ok. I looked." As soon as the admission had been uttered, Emily stopped her assault on the blonde's ribs. Her hands pressed flat against the skin of JJ's back and she pulled up against her own body. She dipped her head down slightly to capture the blonde's lips in a passionate kiss.

JJ felt her eyes drift closed as she surrendered herself to the kiss. The feel of having the woman's body pressed against her filled her mind. She was brought back to the present when the brunette pulled back from the kiss, still leaving her lips close enough for the blonde to feel the heat between them. She couldn't help the small whimper that escaped her at the loss of contact.

"So…What's my reward?" Emily's voice had deepened an octave. As JJ opened her eyes, she was met with Emily's which had turned almost black. A slow smile crept across her face.

"Well…I was thinking about that." The blonde paused as she slid her hands around to sit on Emily's hips. "I thought that if you finished the room, no matter what the quality was then you get a kiss." One of JJ's hands came up to the side of the brunette's face, her thumb caressing her cheek as she leant in to close the few centimetres between them and brought their lips together for a long slow kiss. "If you did an OK job I thought that your reward should be this." The blonde slowly kissed her way along Emily's jaw line, pausing as she reached the pulse point to lightly suck on it. She then continued her journey of kisses along her neck before nibbling gently on her ear lobe. JJ then retraced her path and repeated her actions on the other side of the brunette's neck. She could feel Emily's breathing getting quicker and her heart rate increasing under her lips. The blonde had to bite her lip when she heard the brunette moan under her ministrations. JJ's hand had made its way under the older woman's shirt to stroke across the soft skin there. "If you did a good job then…" JJ moved her hand out from under Emily's shirt and started to unbutton the top button as she leant in for another kiss. "I thought…" Anther kiss and another button was undone. "That…" A longer kiss and two more buttons were opened. "We could…" The blonde traced her tongue across Emily's lips seeking entrance which was readily granted as the last button was undone and the shirt pushed down across her shoulders. "Take our relationship…" The blonde kissed down Emily's neck and across her shoulder. As her lips reached the brunette's bra strap, she slipped it down over her shoulder following its path with her lips. She repeated the action on the other side. One of her hand then slid across the brunette's side and up her back. When she reached the older woman's bra she unsnapped it easily.

"Are you sure you haven't had any practice at that Jayj?" Emily's voice had taken on a decidedly husky tone.

"I'm sure. Natural talent I guess." Emily could feel the smile that had made an appearance on the blonde's face.

Emily couldn't help but smile as she asked her next question. "What other natural talents have you got hidden?"

JJ continued kissing the newly uncovered skin as she spoke. "That Em…" Kissing along her collar bone towards her neck. "Is something…" From the base of her neck down the centre of her chest. "You find out…" Across her ribs under her right breast. "If your painting…" Trailing her tongue slowly around her breast in ever decreasing circles. "Was good enough." Flicking her tongue across Emily's nipple before drawing it into her mouth.

Emily managed to get her brain to function for long enough to string a few words together. "Was it?" She looked down at the blonde and was met with eyes that had turned to a blue that matched the deepest parts of the ocean.

JJ slowly released the nipple from her mouth ensuring her teeth gently grazed against it. She then stood back up to bring herself level with the brunette before leaning in and capturing Emily's lips in a deep and passionate kiss. Her tongue slipped past the brunette's lips and caressed her tongue. She pulled back just far enough to be able to answer. "Yes."

That one word told Emily everything she needed to know. She drew the blonde into another kiss as she tried to reverse their positions. The blonde refused to move and held Emily firmly in place with her back against the sink. "This is your reward Em." She kissed the brunette once more. "Now…Where did I get to?" The mischievous glint had returned to the blonde's eye as she kissed her way back down to Emily's breasts and continued her earlier actions. She rolled one nipple between her thumb and forefinger while flicking her tongue across the other. Emily had brought one hand up and tangled it in blonde hair. Her other hand was resting against the kitchen side.

JJ allowed her other hand to run up the outside of Emily's thigh, tracing her finger along the top edge of the pocket until she reached the button on her jeans. She undid the button and heard Emily moan. The blonde lowered herself onto her knees as she kissed a trail down the brunette's stomach, loving the way it twitched in certain places. As she was kissing her way down, her hands were sliding up the older woman's thighs. Her thumbs following the seam up her inner leg. She slowly dragged the zipper down on her jeans as she slipped one hand up against the apex of her thighs and ran her thumb long the seam there, hearing Emily moan her name. She then slid Emily's jeans down her legs and the brunette stepped out of them leaving her standing in just her panties. The blonde then began to trail slow kisses up Emily's inner thigh, alternating between kissing and nipping at the soft skin.

She looked up across the flawless body that had been revealed before her. She tried to slow her breathing slightly but couldn't help running her tongue across her lips as she pictured what was still to come. "You're beautiful Em." She saw a slight blush grace the brunette's cheeks. Keeping her eyes locked onto her partner's deep brown she hooked her thumbs into the band of her panties and slid them down her silky legs. As her hand reached the brunette's ankle, she gently lifted her leg to put it over her shoulder to reveal the full beauty of the older woman.

The blonde then trailed kisses along the brunette's thigh, moving closer to her centre. She watched as Emily's breathing got faster and more ragged as she got closer to her goal. JJ slid her tongue against Emily's clit and tasted the other woman for the first time. A quiet moan escaped from her throat at that first taste. She took a couple of long licks to fully taste the other woman, savouring every moment. She saw Emily's hand grip the counter more tightly out of the corner of her eye, her breathing becoming more ragged and the moans of the blonde's name more frequent.

JJ lightly grazed her nails up the inside of Emily's thigh, enjoying the shiver that ran through the other woman's body at the touch. She then slipped one finger deep into the brunette's core. The feeling of being inside Emily seemed to overpower every other sense. She moved her finger slowly at first, loving the way the older woman responded to her touch. JJ slid her finger almost all the way out of the brunette, just leaving the tip inside her before allowing a second finger to slide in along side the first. She felt the brunette moving in time with her fingers. She felt how Emily started to move her hips faster and harder, trying to get the blonde deeper inside her. JJ sped up the motion of her fingers to keep time with Emily's movements. The blonde could feel Emily's leg tensing around her shoulder and knew that the older woman was close. She sucked the brunette's clit into her mouth and ran her tongue across it as she curled her fingers slightly inside the brunette, keeping the pace. She felt Emily's walls clench around her fingers as she cried out her name as she came. JJ slowed her motions to draw out the orgasm for the brunette for as long as possible. When she felt the brunette start to relax she gently slipped her fingers out and reached over her shoulder to lower Emily's leg back to the floor. She slowly stood to capture the brunette's lips into a slow, languid kiss.

"God Jay…You…Are…Amazing." The brunette managed between her breaths. JJ couldn't help but blush at the comment. "I only have one problem…You are wearing way too many clothes."

"Oh really?" The blonde cocked an eyebrow at the brunette.

"Yes. I suggest we take this somewhere less vertical as my legs really won't hold me up much longer." She leant in to kiss the younger woman once more, tasting herself on the blonde's lips. "Bed." With that one word, she held her hand out to the other woman who happily accepted it and followed her up to the bedroom.


	34. Chapter 34

AN: Ok, not a new chapter but a question for anyone who is still reading. I could wrap this fic up in the next chapter or I can keep going with it...I have one other arc in mind for it at the moment. I'm leaving it to my readers. If you want me to continue and have any requests for future chapters then let me know too. So let me know what you want either by a PM or a review...Wrap it up or continue?


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: I still don't own them.

A/N: Big thanks to those who reviewed or sent me a PM on my previous chapter. They were all very much appreciated. Also a big thank you to those who wanted me to continue this story. I hope you enjoy it. :o)

Chapter 34

JJ groaned at the sound of the doorbell that roused her from her semi-sleep. "Ignore it." Emily muttered into the blonde's hair as she tightened her arm around the body resting against her, nuzzling in closer to the side of JJ's neck.

"I can't Em. It'll be Garcia with Henry." The blonde shifted her position slightly to kiss the brunette. As she tried to sit up, she realised Emily still hadn't released her hold around her waist. "Erm Em?"

The brunette opened one eye to look at the blonde. "Yeah?"

"I need to move." JJ gestured to the arm keeping her safely in place.

"You sure?" Emily wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"Well…Garcia has a key and knows we should be here. Do you really want her letting herself in and finding us here…like this?" The blonde watched as Emily considered her answer to that question. For a moment JJ thought that the brunette was going to keep her hold on the younger woman but then she felt the arm around her shift. As soon as the contact was lost, JJ missed its presence and heat.

The blonde swung her legs over the edge of the bed before setting about finding her clothing that had been scattered along the path they had taken to the bedroom. As soon as she was dressed, she checked her appearance in the mirror in the hallway before going to the front door. She swung the door open without checking who was on the other side.

"Jennifer Jareau?" A young man was standing on the doorstep.

"Yes." JJ answered warily, unsure about the identity of the man or his business with her. She watched as he reached into his pocket and instantly felt her body tense. A sudden panic filled her being as her mind was filled with images of a gun being pulled out. Instead his hand emerged from his coat with an envelope. JJ reached out and took the envelope from his outstretched arm, looking at the paper she now held.

"Sign here please." He held out a green card to her with a pen. JJ signed her name before handing it back to him. The young man turned and left the property without further comment. JJ stood frozen to the spot until his car had driven off before turning and closing the door. She walked back into the house and took a seat at the kitchen table, she turned the envelope over in her hands wondering what it contained. She opened the envelope and removed the papers inside and began to read. She felt her body begin to shake and tears started to fall as she read the documents now held in her hands.

"Jayj?" Emily called out as she came downstairs. The brunette became worried as she didn't get a reply and there was a quiet in the house that was very uncharacteristic of when Garcia was around. She checked the sitting room first but upon finding it empty she went on to the kitchen. The sight that greeted her made her heart stop beating for a moment. She made her way over to the younger woman and put her hand onto her shoulder hoping not to startle the other woman. "Jayj? What's wrong?" Emily sat down next to the blonde.

JJ kept staring at the paper in her hands and without saying a word, passed it to her partner. Emily looked down at the papers that she had just been handed. She began to read making sure she kept contact with the other woman. As she read further, she could feel the colour drain from her face. As she reached the end, she put the paper on the table and turned to face the blonde. Lifting her hand she cupped the younger woman's face turning it towards her. "We won't let it happen."

Meeting those deep brown eyes that were so filled with concern and a certain determination, JJ wanted to believe that was true. There was part of her that just wouldn't let her believe it though. "I thought it was over when he died. I thought we could put it behind us. Build a new life and a family." Her voice was hollow and her body shaking as she spoke. "This isn't meant to happen."

Emily pulled the other woman to her as she cried, the sobs shaking her whole body. She just held the younger woman as she cried, trying to think of a solution. "It'll be ok Jayj. I promise, it'll be ok."

The doorbell rang again causing both women to start and look back towards the door. The look of panic was clear in JJ's blue eyes. "It's ok. I'll go." Emily stood and walked towards the door, keeping her hand in contact with the blonde for as long as possible. When she reached the door, she checked the peep hole before turning the lock. "Hey Garcia."

"Hello my little…" The rest of Garcia's witty greeting died in her throat as she took in the appearance of the woman standing before her. "What's happened? Is JJ ok?"

"You'd better come in." Emily stood back from the door to allow the quirky blonde entry. As she stepped into the house, Emily took Henry from her before showing her through to the kitchen.

As soon as she laid eyes upon her friend she rushed over to her side. "What's happened sweetie?" Garcia cast her attention between her two friends.

Finally JJ spoke. "Henry."

"He's right here honey. He's fine."

JJ shook her head. "They are going to take him."

Garcia frowned, not understanding what was going on. "Who's going to take him?" She looked over to the brunette who had placed Henry into his playpen.

"JJ just got served with papers for the custody of Henry. Will's mom is applying for sole custody of him."

Garcia just shook her head in disbelief. "No. They can't. He's…You…Just no." Tears had started to well up in her eyes at the realisation that the nightmare she thought JJ had escaped was still continuing. She gathered her thoughts before continuing. "On what grounds can they try to claim custody? JJ is his mom."

Emily glanced at the blonde to see if she was going to answer. "They are claiming that with JJ's job she is unfit as a parent as Henry is left with a number of different people and doesn't have a stable home life. She claims that he would be better off with her where he can have constant supervision from one person." As the brunette spoke, Garcia just kept shaking her head. It was beyond her how anyone could suggest even for a moment that JJ was unfit as a parent or that Henry didn't have a stable home life. He not only had JJ but also Emily who would do anything to protect him. Along with the rest of the team who were like an extended family. All of whom had more contact with Henry and had done more for him than the LaMontagnes. After a pause Emily continued. "She is also saying that JJ has moved in with the first person that came along with no regard for the effect it could have on Henry." Emily looked down at her hands knowing that if she hadn't asked the blonde to live with her then there would be one less issue for the LaMontagnes to bring up in proceedings.

"We'll fight it JJ. We all will. I'll find everything I can about that woman and prove that he is better with you." The quirky blonde turned to the brunette at that point and could see the turmoil Emily was suffering. It didn't take a profiler to know that she felt partially responsible for the current situation. "As for you…This isn't your fault. It's neither of your faults. You two have given Henry the best home any kid could hope for. Don't forget that."

Emily smiled slightly at Garcia. Hearing the determination in her friend's voice reignited the strength inside the brunette that she knew they would all need over the next few weeks. "We'll get the best lawyer too Jay. She won't stand a chance."

The two women looked at each other both trying to convey their concern about how the blonde would cope with this new development. They had been worried enough when the reality of what Will actually was had come to light. Garcia had known that Emily would get JJ through that situation. The threat of losing her child was something very different. This was the one thing that both women feared would break the younger woman. It was in that moment that the two women shared an unspoken promise to ensure that didn't happen. Neither woman could face losing the young blonde.

The phone ringing broke the women out of their thoughts. Emily made her way over to pick the receiver up. "Hello?" The two blondes watched her expression change and her whole body tense. "I'll ask." She covered the phone with her hand before turning to meet the younger blonde's worried gaze. "Jayj it's Mrs LaMontagne. If you don't want to talk to her then just say and I'll hang up." She watched the younger woman for any signs that this wasn't going to be too much for her. JJ seemed to steel herself before taking the phone from the brunette.

"Yes?"

"Hello Jennifer. I wanted to call you and give you the opportunity to be reasonable and make the right choice before things get any more traumatic to my grandson. Now we both know that with your job you can never be relied upon to be there for Henry at any time of the day or night. You get called out of town for every case your team takes on and that means you could be on the other side of the country to Henry at any given time. If something was to happen to him, then he'd be alone until you could fly back from wherever you are. I think you'll agree that no little boy wants to be alone in the world when they are in pain. You know that not only are you away for so much time but you also do a job that is so dangerous. Where on any given day, some murderer could turn his gun on you and leave Henry all alone in the world. With nobody to turn to that could take care of him and help him through such a terrible thing."

"He has people that would be there for him." JJ's voice had lost its normal confident edge. She knew that what she was hearing was true. Her job did take her out of town a lot. As part of her job, she chased the worst serial killers the country has ever seen and that put her in danger every time. Two of her team had been shot, there had been kidnappings and beatings and the risk that next time it would be her. It was something that always scared her about having a family. She knew that one day they might get that knock on the door to tell them that she had been killed.

"Now now Jennifer. We both know that friends are not the same as family."

"Emily…"

"Yes. Emily." As the woman said the name her very calm tone faltered for the first time. "This is a woman who has spent her life travelling all over the world. Someone who has moved from one field office to another in search of the next promotion. How long do you think it will be before she wants to move on to a new office for the next promotion?" There was a pause as she waited for JJ to answer. When no answer was forthcoming, she continued. "She'll want to move on and having a small child to consider will make that so much harder. Especially when that child isn't hers. This is a woman who had been pursuing you for a long time but as soon as she found out you were pregnant…She backed right off. She distanced herself from you so that you hardly saw her outside of work. Do you not remember that? I think we both know that she wouldn't want to be left with Henry if anything happened to you." She paused again to see if JJ had a response. "Now, I'll let you think about this. You know Henry would be safe and loved with me. When you have made your decision, call me."

JJ was about to hang up the phone when she heard the voice at the end once more. "Oh and Jennifer…You have until the end of the week." The next sound she heard was the dial tone as Mrs LaMontagne hung up. JJ just stared blankly letting the conversation replay in her head.

Emily took the phone from her and hung it up. "Jayj? What did she say?" The brunette was growing increasingly more worried as each second passed and the blonde didn't react. Emily reached out her hand to the blonde to wipe away the tear that had escaped from her eye. Before she could make contact, the blonde pulled back away from her touch. "Jay?" Emily was scared by the response of the blonde.

"I just need to be alone for a while." The blonde picked her keys up off the side and headed for the door before either woman could stop her. Leaving them both wondering what had been said to make the blonde react in that way.


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer: Just checked and they still don't belong to me.

AN: Thank you to all those who reviewed. They are as always greatly appreciated and make me write faster. Enjoy :o)

Chapter 35

Emily rushed out of the house closely followed by Garcia but they hadn't been fast enough. They watched as JJ pulled her car out of the drive and drove up the road and out of sight.

Garcia turned and went to her own car. For a moment, Emily thought she was going to drive after the young blonde. Instead she emerged from the drivers side with her laptop bag. As she reached the shocked brunette she took her arm and led her back into the house. "Come on."

"Garcia, I need to follow her." Emily tried to protest.

"I know sugar and that is why you are coming with me. I can trace her phone."

As they got back into the house, Garcia set her laptop up and opened up several windows. Her hands flew across the keys typing too fast for Emily to follow. Suddenly a map appeared on the screen and a green triangle was moving along one of the roads. "There's our girl." Emily turned to grab her keys but was stopped by Garcia's hand. "I know you want to rush off now but I don't think she knows where she is heading yet." She pointed at the screen as the arrow had turned to double back on itself for a while. "Give her time to get to where she is going first. I think she needs it."

"But that wasn't like her. She's never done anything like that before." Emily hadn't taken her eyes off the screen tracking JJ's progress.

"Actually she has Em. Once before." When Emily turned her confused brown eyes on the blonde, Garcia continued. "After New York…When you all got back home she did the same. She saw how things had changed between you two after you found out she was pregnant. She thought that she had lost you that day."

"How do you know?"

"Will called me to ask if she was with me. She wasn't so I called her cell and she didn't reply. So I traced the signal and went to talk with her. She told me the rest."

Emily listened to what her friend was saying while remembering the moment that she had found out JJ was pregnant. It had been a big shock. Until then part of her had still held out the hope that the blonde would see her as something more than just a friend. That moment was when it changed. She had made the decision to distance herself from the other woman for a while to try to compartmentalise what she felt for the younger woman. As it turned out, it had been a futile attempt. Sometimes the compartments just aren't big enough to hold what they need to. "Where did she go?"

Garcia smiled at her friend. "Remember that bar we all used to go to?" Seeing Emily nod she continued. "There." She glanced back at the screen in front of her. "And it looks like she has followed the same path this time too." Garcia pointed at the screen to where the green triangle had come to a stop outside the bar. "I'll look after Henry till you get back. I wanted to tell him the story of the 3 little pigs anyway."

Emily hugged her friend. "Thanks Garcia."

"No need to thank me, you just go and get our girl back." With that Emily was out of the door.

* * *

JJ pulled up outside the bar before she realised where she was. She got out of the car and headed in to get a drink. As she sat in one of the quieter corners of the bar, she let her mind wander back to what Mrs LaMontagne had said. She knew that her job wasn't ideal for someone with a family but she had made it work for all of Henry's life. She'd had many a disagreement with Will at the start of her pregnancy about staying in her job but she thought they had reached an understanding about it. As it would turn out, he had obviously gone to his mom to tell her how unhappy he was with it. Without Will around then she was right. There was nobody around to take care of Henry if the team were in another part of the country for a case. He would be alone and scared and it could take hours for JJ to get back to him.

Then there was Emily. She did want to believe what Mrs LaMontagne had said but there was a part of her that couldn't ignore it. An annoying yet very insistent voice in the back of her head that kept telling her that what the woman had said had been true. Emily had spent her whole life travelling across the world, seeing things that JJ had only dreamt of since she was small and growing up in a little town in Pennsylvania. Since joining the FBI the older woman had been completely driven by her career. Never staying in one office for longer than was necessary to gain her next move. JJ had wondered what it was that Emily found so interesting about her that she wanted to be with her. After all they were from two totally different worlds. All of the doubts JJ had kept buried since admitting her feelings for the brunette had now come to the surface, compounded byt the fact that someone else saw the same issues.

Finally there was the big question that made her blood run cold. If Emily did stay with her for some reason and something happened, would she want Henry? Would she want the responsibility and commitment of looking after someone else's child for the next 17 years? If she had been asked that same question yesterday, the answer would have been simple. Yesterday she believed that Emily would take him and raise him like her own. Now though…Now there were so many doubts rushing through her mind that JJ just wasn't sure anymore.

"Jay?" The sound of her name being called pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked up and met concerned brown eyes looking down at her. "Can I join you?" She opened her mouth to answer but no words were forthcoming. So instead, she opted to nod her acceptance. Emily sat down on the chair next to her and glanced down at the drink sitting on the table. She noticed that it hadn't been touched. She reached her hand over and gently took one of JJ's hands in hers, allowing her thumb to trace a line lightly across the back of it. "I'm here when you want to talk."

Emily watched as JJ nodded, her blue eyes watching the movement of her thumb across her hand. They sat in silence for a while before JJ spoke. "Why are you here Em?" Her eyes never looked up.

"Because I'm not going to let you struggle through this alone. I'm always going to be here Jayj." The blonde nodded though obviously still deeply lost in her own thoughts.

"She's going to take him from me." JJ paused for a moment before drawing in a shaky breath and continuing. "She's right."

"Right about what?" Emily was getting more concerned as time passed. Everything about the blonde was signalling a defeat. It was like she had given up before even trying to fight. Emily knew the only way she could attempt to repair the damage was to find out what had been said to set the blonde on such a negative path. When the other woman remained silent, Emily tried again. "Jayj?" Getting no response Emily reached across to place her hand under the younger woman's chin and lift her head slightly. "Look at me Jay." Her hand stayed in place on the blonde's cheek. Slowly blue eyes raised until they were level with brown. "I need you to tell me what she said."

JJ looked deeply into Emily's brown eyes wanting to find answers to all her questions and a way to alleviate all her doubts with what she might find. "She said Henry doesn't have a stable home life. That I travel all over the country hunting the worst people in society leaving him behind. She said that if anything was to happen to Henry I could be on the other side of the country and he would be alone." She stopped as her eyes drifted shut for a moment. Fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. "He would be all alone and scared and there would be nobody there to hold him. Nobody there to tell him it is ok. What if it was something really serious? What if I couldn't get back in time? What if he was all alone and…and…he…" She couldn't bring herself to say the word. The thought of anything happening to Henry made her feel sick.

"Jay…Listen to me." Emily waited until the blonde looked at her again and her panic had started to subside. "Henry will never be alone." Seeing the younger woman was about to argue with her she continued. "Garcia is almost always in Quantico and would be there in a heartbeat. Hotch would make sure the jet was there to take you home as soon as you needed it. Above all else, nothing would happen to him because you make sure he has the best people looking after him every single day. So even if you are on the other side of the country, you know he is safe."

The blonde seemed to regain some of her composure at that point. The panic that had been so evident in her eyes had faded. "What if something was to happen to me Em?"

"Then we'd all look after him until you were well enough. We're not just a team Jay, we're a family."

JJ shook her head, her eyes holding a deep sadness. "I meant what if I got killed. What happens to him then?"

Emily took a deep breath. "What would you want to happen Jay?" Emily wanted to tell the younger blonde that she would take care of Henry but she didn't know if that is what JJ wanted.

JJ was quiet for a moment before asking her own question. "How long do you want to stay in the BAU?"

Emily was caught off guard by the sudden change of topic in the question. "That's a hard question to answer. It is what I have worked for all these years. Where I always wanted to be." She could see the blonde starting to make judgements about what was being said and could feel her withdrawing. "I want to stay in the BAU. It is my home, my family. I'll only leave if it is threatening to become too much. If I'm no longer able to compartmentalise everything we see." She saw the other woman nod but knew there was a deeper question that wasn't being asked. "No matter what I do as a job, I'm not leaving you." She watched as blue eyes rose to meet hers once more, this time glistening with unshed tears. "I'm never going to leave you Jay. I'll always be here for you."

"Why?"

"Why?" Emily repeated the question asked of her as she thought about how to answer. "Why won't I leave? Because you are here. Why won't I leave you? Because I love you. Why do I love you?" Emily couldn't help but smile. "That is a question that I can't answer quickly. There are too many reasons to list them all and I know that as each day passes, the list will only get longer. I guess because you are you is the quickest answer."

The tears has started to fall from JJ's eyes and Emily pulled the blonde into a hug and let her cry. "I'm never going to leave you Jay. I'm yours for as long as you'll have me." They sat wrapped in each others arms until JJ's tears had subsided. Pulling back slightly, JJ leant in and kissed the brunette trying to convey everything that words could not.

"Take me home Em?" Emily stood from her seat and offered the younger woman her hand before leading her out of the bar.


	37. Chapter 37

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

AN: Big thanks to those who have reviewed…Told you they make me write faster. Or maybe it's down to the bout of insomnia I've developed. I'm not 100% sure about this chapter but it is gone 3am so please forgive any glaring mistakes etc. Enjoy :o)

Chapter 36

After Emily had left Garcia had watched the laptop to make sure JJ didn't leave the bar before the brunette could reach her. She just hoped that when Emily reached her JJ would open up and tell her what had been said. If she did that Garcia had faith that they could find a way to fight the LaMontagnes and that they would win. She watched as the triangle signifying Emily arrived at the same point on her map. Almost as if on cue, Henry started crying. Garcia closed her laptop screen and made her way over to the playpen.

"Hey little man, it's ok. Your mom just needs to talk to Em and then everything will be right with the world again." She picked Henry up and carried him out of the kitchen and into the sitting room. "You see your mom just got so used to dealing with things on her own that she forgets she doesn't have to anymore." She took a seat on the couch and bounced Henry up and down until he started giggling.

"Now there's my little man. Just you wait and see…Everything will be fine. If anyone deserves a happily ever after it's those two."

Henry cuddled himself up against Garcia, wrapping his arms around her and grabbing handfuls of shirt. "Now how about a story until your mom gets home?" The giggle that Henry made was taken as an ascent to the story.

"Once upon a time there lived a mother pig. Now this poor pig had been left high and dry when the daddy pig had gone to market. This left the poor mother pig to raise the 3 piglets alone. When they got older, she reached the decision that they had to move out of home. They kept her up late at night by squealing on one another for eating the last apple and other petty differences. The house just wasn't big enough for the four of them. The mother pig had heard about other pigs whose piglets remained at home until they were well into their adult years. Not something she planned to allow to happen. She had her eye on one of the rooms as a home gym to get back in shape." Garcia paused as Henry shifted himself slightly and sat himself up a bit. "Oh you like the sound of this one huh?"

"Now the mother pig called the piglets together one day and told them that they had to move out but to be careful of the big bad wolf. Now this was merely a figure of speech that she used as the wolf was neither big nor bad in reality. He was just the local building inspector and he had a job to do. She was just worried that her piglets would move into a house that was below code and end up with them coming back. She'd already ordered her gym equipment off ebay and had nowhere else to store it."

"The first little pig found a man with some straw and decided to build his house from straw. His siblings helped him to build his house as all good siblings do. However, just like siblings, there was rivalry between them. As soon as the house was built they started to argue that the remaining two piglets would build stronger houses. This created some family tension and so the first little pig refused to help his brothers build their houses." Henry gurgled happily and started to play with one of Garcia's necklaces as she told her story.

"A bit further along the road, the second little pig met a man carrying some sticks. He decided to build his house from sticks. His brother helped him to build his house of sticks and then the rivalry reared its head again. So the third little pig carried on along the road on his own. He met a man with some bricks and decided to build his house from bricks. Unlike his brothers, his house wasn't built in a short space of time. In fact, it took many weeks to build as he consulted a proper architect and arranged for a building firm to carry out the works. Eventually the brick house was built and the third little pig moved in." Garcia had to stop her story until she had managed to reclaim her glasses from Henry who had decided they would be a fun rattle.

"Then one day the wolf came along to the first house. Now people will have you believe that he came along and he huffed and he puffed and blew the little house down. In reality he was actually the buildings inspector for the council. When he visited the first little pig, he tried to get the pig to let him in so they could discuss the many planning and building violations a house of straw had but the little pig was stubborn and prejudice against wolves. As a result he refused to let the wolf in. Then the little pig sneezed and the house blew down. The wolf did not eat the pig as the sneezing might have been a result of swine flu. Instead he referred him to the swine flu hotline and suggested a course of tamiflu as soon as he could."

"The wolf then went to the second house and again tried to talk to the pig, not only about the building violations but about the fact that his brother had swine flu. The little pig was no less stubborn and prejudice than his brother. The bad news was that since swine flu was quite contagious then he too sneezed. His house also blew down as there was no strength to the design. The wolf was now starting to worry a bit. He had spent time around two little pigs with swine flu and the last thing he wanted was to end up catching it. His holiday was booked and he didn't want to spend the duration of it in quarantine."

"The wolf stopped by the local hospital on his way to the next house and picked up a mask. He then walked further along the road and got to the house of bricks. When he got there, the wolf was surprised. This was a house made of brick and with the proper planning consents. He tried to speak to the third little pig to congratulate him on a well built house and to warn him that his brothers had swine flu. The little pig refused to let the wolf in basing his decision on previous prejudices against wolves."

"The wolf tried to arrange some meetings with the little pig but each time the pig would leave earlier or run away when the wolf came along. This made the wolf feel very lonely. Normally the wolf would give up and leave the pig to his own devices but he had to warn him about the swine flu. So he persisted until one day in a last ditch effort to warn the last little pig about his possible jeopardy he climbed down the chimney. Unfortunately the little pig decided to boil a pot of water under the chimney and the wolf suffered a terrible fate. What made the situation even worse was as the wolf took his last breath, the little pig sneezed. As it turned out, the little pigs prejudice against another breed led to his own downfall."

As Garcia finished her story she looked down at a now sleeping Henry cuddled up against her.

"If he ever suffers from insomnia, you are so getting a call." Emily spoke quietly from the doorway.

As Garcia turned to face her, she noticed that the brunette was alone. "Where's JJ?" Suddenly she was concerned that Emily hadn't been able to get the younger woman to talk to her.

"She's in the kitchen." Emily came over to the couch and sat down next to her friend. She saw the look in Garcia's eyes and knew that she had to explain to the other woman what had transpired. "I'm worried about her Pen." Before she could continue, JJ entered the room.

"Hey. Sorry about just leaving, I just had to do something." JJ looked down at her sleeping son. "Was he ok?"

"As always. I'm a pro remember." Garcia winked at the young blonde, hoping to lighten her spirits slightly.

"I'll take him up. Do you want to stay for some food with us?" JJ asked as she very gently picked the sleeping baby up.

"Sounds great to me Jayj." Both Garcia and Emily watched as JJ carried Henry upstairs. As soon as the blonde was out of ear-shot Garcia turned to her friend. "Ok, so what did the wicked bitch of the deep south say to our girl?"

"I don't know exactly what she said but it was enough to put a lot of doubts in Jay's mind."

"About?"

"Being a good mom and her choice of career." Emily paused for a moment, unsure whether her next comment was wise. She also knew that the blonde would know if she withheld any information. "And about me."

"That does it. I'm deleting her existence." Garcia made a move to stand but was stopped by the feel of Emily's hand on her arm.

"Garcia, you can't do that." Seeing the look on her friend's face she knew she needed to rephrase. "Ok, you can do that. It's why I'd never hurt JJ as I'd suffer the same fate. What I meant was it won't help to do that."

Garcia sighed deeply. "Ok, ok. I won't erase her…yet. But I swear Em, if there is so much as a smudge on any of her records I'll find it."

Emily smiled at her friend. "I know you will."

"Seriously Em, what has she said to make our girl doubt you?" It was the one thing that Garcia couldn't resolve in her own mind. She knew that JJ had her own doubts about her job with a family so playing on those insecurities would be relatively easy. The hard part would be getting JJ to question Emily. She knew how the two women felt about each other. It was obvious to anyone who met them. So the big question that remained was what could have made JJ doubt those feelings.

"I wish I knew. I'm guessing she has planted doubt in her mind about me staying in the BAU from the question Jayj asked me earlier but beyond that I don't know." Emily sighed. "Whatever it was it really got to her. I don't know if I can fix it all without knowing exactly what is broken."

Garcia pulled her friend into a hug. "Now you listen to me Em and I want you to listen carefully. The one thing that JJ needs to get through this is you."

Emily listened to what her friend said and hoped that she could be all that JJ needed to get her through. When she tried to make herself believe that, all she could hear was the little voice of doubt resurfacing. The same voice that had made her keep her distance from the blonde for so long. The same voice that had told JJ to go after Will in the first place. Right now that voice was telling her that maybe the reason JJ didn't want to tell her what was said on the phone was because it was the truth. A truth that meant the blonde had realised that she had made a big mistake with Emily. That doubt and fear was something that Emily couldn't get to go away no matter how much she tried.

"Have you guys ordered yet?" JJ asked as she came back into the room.

"I'll get the menus." Emily got up from the couch and made her way out to find the take out menus.

Garcia watched as she left and couldn't help but feel a small amount of worry creep into her mind as she noticed the change in the way the two women interacted. Prior to that phone call, every time they passed that close, there would have been a small touch. Just something to create that physical link before they parted company even if it was for a short time. This time though, they had both retreated inside themselves to an extent. It was like watching them both at work. JJ had donned her press conference mask to hide what her true feelings about the situation were and Emily had started to compartmentalise every aspect of the situation to reduce the emotional impact it had. It was in that moment that Garcia decided she would do everything she could to set her two friends back on the path they should be on.


	38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer: I still don't own them.

AN: Big thanks to those who reviewed. You can thank a 5 hour drive to Wales for this chapter…Plenty of thinking time. Enjoy :o)

Chapter 37

"Come over here Jayj." Garcia patted the couch next to her. The younger blonde walked over and took a seat next to her friend. Garcia took the opportunity to study the young woman sitting next to her carefully. She could see that hidden behind the carefully constructed mask, her friend was crumbling inside. She knew that all her friends fears and doubts had been brought to the forefront of her mind. She also knew that despite the front that JJ portrayed, she was in fact very insecure about anything relationship linked. "She's not going anywhere you know."

Blue eyes snapped round to meet Garcia's concerned gaze. The shock of having her friend comment on the thoughts she had believed she'd kept hidden behind her mask evident on her features. "How did you know?" Her voice had lost all the confidence it normally held. No longer did she sound like she could command the attention of a room full of reporters. If anything, she sounded like a frightened teenager.

"You're my best friend Jayj. In the six years I have known you, you've only given your heart to one person. Now something is making you doubt your decision. You really don't need to, not with Em."

"How can you be so sure?" JJ wanted to believe that her friend had an answer that would calm all her fears.

"Oh sweetie…You know there are so many things that I could say about how things will be but you'd always question them. Any situation I gave you, there would be an alternative that you would come up with. So all I can say is look back. Think about the past four years that you have spent with Em in your life. Go back to the start. She has always been there, no matter what else was going on. She has never left you. That should tell you all you need to know honey."

Before anymore could be said, Emily re-entered the room with the take-out leaflets. The rest of the evening was spent discussing lighter topics and trying to divert everyone's attention from the LaMontagnes until they could talk to a lawyer and find out where they stood. Garcia watched her two friends through the night. Every once in a while she would notice Emily go to rest her hand on the blonde's arm or leg but before she made contact, she would pull away. JJ had been quieter than usual, spending more time listening to the other two talk than engaging in conversation herself. Garcia hoped that she was thinking about what she had said earlier and not dwelling on what had been said on the phone. She knew that both women loved each other and were perfect for each other. She had seen how they were there to support one another through any situation. She was certain that as cliché as it sounded, they were meant to be together. Yet she also knew that both of them had a tendency to run from relationships when things got too serious or too difficult. It was her greatest fear that her two friends wouldn't be able to overcome their own insecurities to come through this situation unharmed.

As the evening drew to a close, Garcia hugged JJ and as she did so whispered in her ear. "Go back to the start Jayj. This one is worth fighting for." She then turned to Emily and hugged her, again whispering into her ear. "Believe me when I say your compartments aren't strong enough to lock your feelings away this time Em." As she pulled back she gave them both a trademark Garcia smile. "Right ladies, I shall see you tomorrow and don't forget to give my godson a big kiss." She turned to start to walk down the path but then glanced over her shoulder. "Heck, while you're at the kissing, I'd share one with each other…or more than one…Your choice." With that she continued her walk down to her car and was gone.

As they headed back into the house, an uncomfortable silence fell between the two women. Neither knowing how to stop the void that had begun to form between them from widening. Emily looked over at the blonde and wanted nothing more than to find a way to turn back the clock. She wanted to be back in the place they were in this morning. She couldn't believe how quickly things had changed. How the younger woman had shut her out so easily. She wanted to just pull the other woman to her and promise her that everything was going to be fine. She searched her mind for the words to say that would bring the other woman back to her, that would stop her from putting up those walls and shutting her out but her mind drew a blank. A few moments later she watched as JJ turned away from her and walked up the stairs. It was in that moment that Emily felt her heart break.

* * *

JJ walked up the stairs feeling as if she was more alone now than ever before in her life. She wanted to turn back around and go back to Emily, to have her wrap her into an embrace that felt like it shielded her from the rest of the world. When she reached the top of the stairs she stopped and began to turn to go back down until Mrs LaMontagne's words repeated themselves in her head. She wanted to believe that Emily would always be there but she knew that when it came down to it she was just a small town girl with a small child and Emily was in another league all together. JJ felt her head drop forward slightly and her shoulders slump in defeat as her feet carried her along the hallway to the bedroom.

As she entered the room, she pushed the door too but didn't fully close it. No matter what her doubts were that Emily would stay with her, she still wanted her to be near her. She hoped that the brunette would accept the unspoken invitation and come up to sleep with her. JJ lay down on the bed and curled herself up on one side, letting her mind wander. She thought about what Garcia had said about going back to the start. She ran through all those occasions when Emily had been there for her. Every time the blonde had needed someone to talk to, she was always available. It was during one of their cases that really got to JJ that she realised Emily would always be there to lend her an ear or offer her a shoulder. They were on a campus where several brunette girls had been murdered. JJ had told these two girls that they had the suspect in custody. They were both so happy and thanked her. It was at times like those that she felt all the horrors that she had to face on a daily basis were worth it. It didn't take long for all that to change. One of the girls had been murdered and her friend had blamed JJ. JJ remembered walking off from the scene, leaving Reid standing there, she didn't know where she was going. It just had to be away from there. From the faces looking at her, from the eyes that she felt were accusing her of letting this girl die. She didn't know how far from the scene she had walked before she felt a hand on her arm and heard her name being uttered so softly from the brunette's lips. In that moment she stopped her retreat and turned to face the brunette. Without a word, Emily led her into one of the buildings and into an empty classroom. As soon as the door had closed, she had opened her arms and the blonde hadn't been able to keep her mask up any longer. She had allowed herself to step into the other woman's embrace and had given in to the tears. Emily had just held her as she cried. There were no words but none were needed. It was at that moment that JJ knew the other woman would keep her safe. She knew that there would always be a haven in her arms to shelter her from the horrors of their jobs.

JJ was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of the door opening. She wanted to turn over and invite Emily to sleep with her but her body refused to co-operate. She could hear the sounds of the other woman getting changed. She held her breath without realising she was doing it as she waited to see if she would stay or leave. As she felt the bed sink down slightly from the weight of the other woman, the breath she had been holding escaped her lips silently. Yet there was something missing as she lay there. Every night that they had shared a bed, Emily had curled her body around the blonde's, wrapping her up safely in her arms. Tonight there was no contact between them. JJ waited hoping that at any moment she would feel the warmth of Emily's body against hers but it never came. She felt a tear slip down her cheek and onto the pillow silently as she realised that even though they were close, there was an ever growing distance forming between them.

* * *

Emily lay on the bed looking at JJ's back. She silently willed the younger woman to roll over and place her head against her shoulder as they had done on so many previous nights. That would be all she needed to restore her faith that JJ wanted to be with her. She waited for that one action to set her world straight again but it never came. She eventually fell into a restless sleep with a feeling of hopelessness.

* * *

"We have a case." JJ said as she walked through the bullpen on her way back from Hotch's office. She didn't wait for a response as she knew that the team would follow her. As soon as they were all seated she pushed a button and images filled the screen. "Austen, Texas have a problem. Over the past 3 months, 7 women have vanished while on their way home."

"Vanished?" Morgan asked as he looked up from his case file.

"Without a trace. Nothing has been found that provides any insight as to what has happened to these women. They have simply disappeared."

"Any links in victimology?" Reid asked while studying the images.

"Nothing that the police have identified. The victims are being taken in a faster cycle. The last two were only 3 days apart."

"Wheels up in 10 minutes." Was all Hotch said as he stood and left the room. Emily followed as did the rest of the team leaving JJ and Garcia in the room last.

"Jayj…" Garcia started.

"I can't talk about it now Pen. I just…I have to focus on the case." JJ made a move to leave the room but Garcia blocked her path.

"Don't do this JJ."

The blonde stopped trying to dodge her way out of the room and looked at her friend. "She's realised that it's too much for her but she just won't say it. This life isn't what she wants. I'm just giving her the easy way out."

"That's not true."

"It is. She hasn't touched me once. It's like we share the same space but we are in different worlds." JJ sighed. "It's for the best anyway. It would never have worked between us. We're just too different." Before Garcia had a chance to respond to JJ's comments, the younger woman had slipped past her and down the hall.

* * *

The first day had been frustrating for the team. They had examined each scene and interviewed all the families but turned up nothing. It was on the second day that another woman went missing. They had finally caught a break with the latest kidnapping. One of the security cameras had caught an image of the unsub talking to the woman before they got into a car together. The one thing that confused the team was that there didn't appear to be any resistance from the other woman, she seemed to go willingly. Garcia had used her facial recognition software to identify the man seen with the latest victim. The team had assembled with the local PD outside his house.

"Talk about creepy." Morgan commented looking up at the building. It was as close to the stereotypical haunted house as you could get outside of a fair ground.

"We have to assume that the women could still be alive somewhere in the house since we have no evidence to the contrary." Hotch addressed the team assembled in front of him. "We're going to do a soft entry. Hopefully we'll be able to identify any survivors and get them out safely."

The rest of the team nodded their agreement as they finished strapping on their Kevlar. Emily and Morgan were to take the back of the house. As they made a move to take their positions, Emily looked over to where JJ was standing. She had hoped that the blonde would look over towards her, to share a moment of eye contact but the younger woman didn't even glance her way. Emily sighed and whispered quietly. "Be safe JJ."

"Everyone in position?" Hotch's voice came over the earpiece.

"All set." Morgan replied. They waited as a young officer opened the lock on the backdoor. Morgan went through first, closely followed by Emily. They knew that Hotch and the rest of the team would be entering through the front. They made their way from room to room coming up empty each time. They moved upstairs and checked each room in turn, again finding nothing. "All clear." Morgan called once he had checked the final room. "Hotch, there is nobody here."

"Ok, we need to search for any clues as to where the unsub might be. Divide up and take a room to search for any possible secondary locations." The team split up ad each went to a different room to begin the long task of searching for any clues as to the whereabouts of the suspect of the victims.

Emily was searching one of the rooms upstairs when something caught her eye. She bent down to pick up the necklace, she opened the locket and the picture inside was of one of the victims. She reached up to turn her mike on but before she could say anything, everything went black.

* * *

"There's nothing here Hotch. If this guy is our unsub then he's not coming here." Morgan threw down the book he had in his hands.

"Ok, lets call it a night. We'll leave officers here in case he returns but we all need some rest." He reached up to speak into his mike. "We're calling it a night, regroup downstairs."

The team started to reassemble from their various points in the house. It was only after Reid came in that they noticed there was one member missing. "Where's Emily?" He asked looking between the rest of the team.

"She was in the room next to yours." Rossi answered.

"I looked on my way down and there was nobody up there."

JJ felt her chest tighten in panic. She didn't wait to hear anymore. She turned and ran up the stairs to where Emily had been working. She was vaguely aware of the calls from other members of the team and the sound of footsteps following her. None of that mattered right then. She just needed Emily to be ok. As she rounded the corner to the room, she was greeted with emptiness. Her stomach dropped as she looked around the room for any signs of the other woman only to come up blank.

* * *

Emily woke up with a pounding in her head, worse than when she had been hit with the 2x4. She groaned as she moved and a fresh wave of pain raced through her skull. Lifting her hand, she felt the back of her head. There was a large lump and her hand came away covered in blood. She then looked around the room she was now in. It was quite narrow but seemed to branch off at the end. She slowly stood up, having to close her eyes momentarily to stem the wave of nausea that swept through her. She took a couple of deep breaths to steady herself before making her way along to the end of the room. When she got there she checked both ways for any sign of the unsub. That was when her eyes fell on the barrels stacked neatly along the corridor. She moved quietly along towards them, keeping her back against the wall and checking behind her frequently. As she reached the first barrel she slowly lifted the lid. The first thing that hit her was the smell. She had to turn away as her stomach lurched. She covered her nose with the sleeve of her top before looking at the contents. It didn't take long for her brain to process what she was seeing. In the barrel was what remained of one of the victims. She lowered the lid on the first barrel and counted the others. She then made her way to the furthest barrel and opened the lid, preparing herself for what lay inside. This time, there was no smell and inside it appeared to be filled with a clear liquid. Then something caught her eye floating at the edge of the barrel was a tooth. She started to reach out to lift it out but stopped herself as a memory of something she had read flashed into her mind. Something about an English murderer who was caught because of some fake teeth. Her mind then flashed the rest back to her, he had tried to dispose of the bodies in acid but certain materials aren't affected. Emily looked at the row of barrels again as the realisation of what had happened to the victims dawned on her. The knowledge that she would suffer the same fate unless her team found her playing on her mind.

Emily looked around the small space she was in for some kind of weapon. That was when she saw it, tucked behind one of the barrels…A crow bar. She reached behind it carefully and removed the crow bar before heading back to where she had regained consciousness. She then knew she had nothing to do but wait. She readjusted her Kevlar and that's when she felt it, her radio was still there. She reached up to find her earpiece and breathed a sigh of relief as she found it half under the collar of her shirt. Putting it back in her ear she then spoke. "Can anyone hear me?" She waited, holding her breath as she hoped for a response. "Anyone?" Silence. Emily slumped back against the wall, feeling the hope she'd had fade away.

* * *

The team had searched the room and found nothing. "She can't just vanish." Rossi said.

"Nobody came past me and that's the only way downstairs." JJ answered.

"So she has to be here somewhere."

That's when they heard it, Emily's voice coming through the comms system.

"Prentiss? We can hear you. Where are you?" Hotch asked. The whole team waited for the reply but none came. The next thing they heard was Emily, "Anyone?"

"Her radio can't be working fully." Reid observed.

"What now?" JJ asked the team.

"We keep looking. We know she is still alive." Rossi answered before re-searching the room.

* * *

Emily sat against the wall in silence for a few minutes. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet. Tucked behind her badge was a picture of JJ and Henry that she had taken the day they had moved into their house. They were both smiling at the camera. Emily held the picture in her hand as she traced the outline of the blonde's face. She closed her eyes for a moment before reaching a decision. She turned her radio on and began talking.

"Jayj…I don't know if you can hear me or not but I can't just sit here and not try." She focused on the picture in her hand. "I want you to know that I'm sorry. I should have listened to Garcia. She told me that I'd never be able to keep my feelings for you locked up in my compartments and she was right."

There was a pause as Emily tried to collect her thoughts. "I don't know why I tried to hide behind my defences. I guess I'm not as smart as I like to think. I just got so scared that I'd lose you but it was my far that lost you to me. I pushed you away when I should have fought for you and pulled you close."

She sighed deeply. "I know you'd had doubts about me planted in your mind and instead of proving them wrong…I proved them right." She half laughed bitterly and half sobbed. "I'm sorry Jay. I never meant to push you away. You are all I want." Emily stopped as she heard a metal scraping as a bolt was opened. She gripped the crowbar in her hand and stood. She looked at the picture in her hand one last time. "I'm going to fight for you Jay. I'm going to fight to get back to you." There was the sound of creaking hinges as a door opened. "I love you." With that, Emily turned the radio off and focused all of her attention on the corner she now stood beside. Waiting for the footsteps to get closer.

* * *

Hearing Emily say her name, JJ froze. She wanted to tell the other woman that she could hear her but knew it was futile. Instead she just listened. She listened as Emily explained her own fears and put JJ's fears into words. She was vaguely aware of tears running down her face as Emily told her that she wanted her still. She felt her own doubts about Emily fade away as she heard Emily's statement of intention to fight for her. Then she felt her heart stop when she realised the whispered 'I love you' might be the last time she heard it from Emily's lips.


	39. Chapter 39

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them.

AN: Wow…Thanks for all those reviews on my last chapter. They were all very much appreciated. My apologies for the short chapter tonight…I blame the naked woman and her thug of a bf having a full blown domestic outside my room last night leaving me with about 2 hours sleep. I'll try to get another one up tomorrow when I get home. Enjoy :o)

Chapter 38

Silence. Everyone had stopped when they heard Emily's last comments. They knew that on one level it was Emily's way of saying goodbye. Morgan walked over to where JJ stood. He reached a hand out to the blonde, "JJ?" She kept staring at the floor blankly. When his hand made contact with her shoulder she raised her gaze. As soon as she looked into Morgan's eyes and saw the mixture of concern and regret, she knew what he was thinking. She opened her mouth to speak, to plead with him to tell her it was going to be ok, to tell her that Emily would be back in her arms soon…but no words would come.

* * *

Emily tried to slow her breathing and focus on the sound of the footsteps coming closer. Keeping all of her focus was difficult with the waves of nausea that kept coursing through her body and the relentless pounding in her head. She tightened her grip on the crow bar in her hand and closed her eyes to listen.

The footsteps were close now. Emily opened her eyes and shifted her grip slightly. She took a deep breath before offering a silent prayer that she would get through this and be able to get back to JJ. She stepped around the corner and swung the crow bar, putting all of her body weight behind it. When the unsub stepped back, with surprising speed, she had no control over stopping the motion. She felt herself twisting with the force of the movement. Normally she would have been able to correct the mistake but with her head injury, her balance was off. She tried to correct herself but still found herself crashing into the wall with her shoulder.

Before she had a chance to turn, the unsub had grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back, applying more pressure until she couldn't maintain her grip on the crow bar. She heard it clatter to the ground. "Not smart." He sneered into her ear.

Emily gathered all her strength and mentally braced herself for the pain she knew would follow. She raised one of her legs and pushed off against the wall with everything she could muster. It was enough to send them both crashing against the opposite wall.

* * *

Suddenly, they heard a crash against the wall. Everyone turned to look at the source of the sound. Rossi moved to the closest part and touched the wall before knocking on it. "It's hollow."

"I should have seen it." Reid commented as he moved to stand in the hallway, his eyes shifting between the hall and the room. "It's a hidden room. Right here, running between these two rooms and along the hall."

"Find the entrance." Hotch ordered. The team immediately started to search along the walls for some sign of an entrance to the hidden space.

* * *

The force of impact against the wall made Emily's head snap back, sending a fresh wave of pain from the contact with the wall. She felt her vision blur and fade to grey. She fought the threat of unconsciousness, knowing that if she blacked out now that was it. She had too much to fight for. She had to get through this. She had to get back to JJ. As an image of the blonde woman appeared in Emily's mind, her vision began to clear. She pushed herself away from the unsub and started to get to her feet. Then she heard a sound that made her freeze…A unmistakable click of gun being cocked.

Her eyes drifted shut as the sense of defeat washed through her. She felt a single tear roll down her cheek as she offered a silent apology to JJ.

* * *

Then they heard it…Two gun shots ringing through the house. In that instant, JJ felt her legs collapse from underneath her. She fell to the ground unable to breath. Images flashed in her mind.

_Lying in bed without Emily's arms around her._

_Blanking the other woman when they were at work the next morning._

_Ignoring Garcia's advice._

_Not talking to Emily before the raid. She had felt the brunette's eyes on her but she couldn't bring herself to turn and meet her gaze. _

_The moment the team reassembled without Emily and the panic that instantly gripped her._

_Finding nothing but an empty room as they searched for the other woman. _

_The sound of Emily's voice. The one voice that had always been able to soothe her and ground her. Hearing Emily say the words that had silenced the doubts racing through her mind. Hearing her say 'I love you' and the ice that had settled in her heart when the realisation that it may be the last time she heard it set in. _

Feeling arms around her she raised her eyes from the floor and met Reid's worried gaze, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "She can't…I didn't…I can't…I need her." Her breathing was ragged as the panic set in about what could have happened to Emily. The only thought left circling in her mind was that she would never get to say sorry to the other woman and tell her she loves her again.

* * *

"Stand up."

Emily slowly stood, hoping that JJ wouldn't be the one to find her. That Morgan or Hotch would keep her away.

"Turn around."

Emily turned to face the unsub. His smile let her know that he knew he had won. She never expected to find herself staring down the barrel of her own gun with her team so close and yet unable to help her.

"You don't have to do this."

He laughed coldly. "No…but I want to. Goodbye Agent."

The words Emily had said moments before sprang back into her mind. She had promised JJ she would fight for her. She decided in that second to make good on her promise and she charged at the unsub.

* * *

"Here." Morgan shouted from the other room. He had his gun unholstered before the others had made their way into the room. He placed his hands against the frame and gave the back of the wardrobe a single kick, sending the door flying open. He was first into the corridor they had revealed, his gun at the ready. The sight that greeted him, made him stop in his tracks.

"Let go." Morgan spun to see JJ pushing Reid away from her as she made her way towards him. He stood blocking her way.

"JJ, I don't think…"

"Morgan I need to see. I need to..." She pushed past the other man but faltered in her journey when she saw the sight before her. Emily was lying face down on the floor against the wall, her hair covered her face. The thing that grabbed JJ's attention was the blood. The blood that matted the brunette's hair and had stained her white shirt and the blood that was slowly dripping down the wall. It was in that instant that JJ felt her heart shatter and the tears finally fell.


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer: I still don't own them.

AN: Big thanks for the reviews. My apologies for leaving you hanging with the last chapter. Enjoy :o)

Chapter 39

Morgan moved towards Emily, preparing himself for the worst. As he was about to bend down to check her pulse, a movement caught his attention. He pulled his gun and turned to the noise, "Don't move." He could make out a figure sitting against the wall in the shadows at the end of the narrow passageway. "Hands in the air." He watched as hands were raised. As soon as he was sure there was no weapon in reach, he moved towards the unsub. He saw the gun lying on the floor a couple of steps away and kicked it back towards the passage where the rest of the team were. He checked to make sure Rossi had him covered. Morgan then holstered his gun and snapped the handcuffs on one of the unsub's wrists. He pushed him to the ground and cuffed the other hand behind his back. That was when he saw the blood.

* * *

Hotch has watched two of his agents move to apprehend the unsub and knew what he needed to do. He tried to move over to where Emily lay but the feeling of a hand on his arm stopped him. He looked down and saw JJ's hand resting there.

"I need to." Was all she said. Hotch understood. He knew that JJ had to find out for herself. That she would only believe the truth if she felt it, whatever that truth may be. He nodded and stood back to allow the young woman to pass him.

JJ tried to stand but found her legs wouldn't co-operate initially. She saw Hotch offer her his hand to help her stand which she accepted. Each step she managed took all her strength. Her legs felt like lead as she moved them. Every step taking her closer to her nightmare becoming a reality. As she came level with Emily, she was vaguely aware of Hotch gently squeezing her arm in support. It felt so far away, her whole attention was focused on the woman lying at her feet.

She sank down to her knees at Emily's side. As she looked at her everything else faded away. She could no longer hear the sounds of Morgan and Rossi as they apprehended the unsub. She no longer noticed the way the shadows of her team fell along the corridor. No longer noticed the copper smell that hung in the air. Everything, every sense was focused on the woman before her. JJ saw her hand reach out towards the brunette, feeling as though she was watching someone else's arm move. She touched the side of Emily's face. She's warm was the first thought that pierced the haze that had descended the moment she laid eyes on the other woman. She gently brushed the hair back from her face. So pale. All of the colour that Emily normally held was gone. JJ allowed her fingers to trace down the side of her face, following a path as if to memorise every curve. Her hand ran down Emily's jaw to her neck. She saw her hand shaking and tried to steady it as she moved her fingers to Emily's pulse point. She drew in one breath and held it. She moved her fingers into contact with Emily's pulse point and felt her heart stop. Her eyes closed and the tears fell.

"JJ I'm so sorry." Hotch spoke as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

JJ snapped her head round to look at him. She shook her head as she struggled to form words. "She's alive."

Hotch felt the shock register on his face. He'd assumed from JJ's reaction that she hadn't found a pulse. Part of him needed to confirm it for himself. He knelt down next to JJ and placed his fingers to Emily's neck. He sat still for what seemed like an eternity to the blonde before turning to look directly into her blue eyes. "We need paramedics here now." He said into his radio.

Hearing the paramedics ascending the stairs, Hotch stepped out of the confined space to allow them room to work. JJ refused to move from her place beside the brunette. Her whole focus on the woman beside her, willing her to be ok. "Come on Em. I need you. I need you to wake up now." She heard the paramedics entering the room. "You promised to keep fighting." JJ moved slightly to allow the paramedics the access they needed to assess Emily's condition. JJ watched as they put a neck collar on her and lifted her onto a back board. She was vaguely aware of them commenting about her condition as they worked.

"Head trauma."

"Loss of consciousness."

JJ followed them out of the confined space as they lifted the stretcher and started to carry Emily to the ambulance. Suddenly the sound of an alarm filled the room.

"Her pressure is dropping."

"Must have missed something."

JJ watched as they lowered the stretcher and checked over the brunette. JJ stared at the little screen on the machine showing Emily's vitals. Watching the numbers change. Feeling the fear she had felt earlier start to grip her once more.

"Here. Gun shot wound to the abdomen. No exit wound. Must be lodged inside."

JJ watched as the paramedics applied a dressing to the wound, pressing down to slow the bleeding while the other hooked up a drip and squeezed the bag to push the fluids in faster. Trying to re-stabilise her pressure before they moved her.

* * *

Rossi and Morgan dragged the unsub to his feet. "Move." Was Morgan's only comment. Rossi headed out ahead of the other two men. Morgan had a firm grip on the unsub as he marched him out.

As they emerged from the passageway, the unsub looked over to where the paramedics were working and smiled. "Looks like I was the better shot. The bitch deserved it."

The next few seconds seemed to happen so quickly that nobody had a chance to react. JJ had been so lost in her thoughts, watching everything going on in front of her. Then she heard it. The voice that cut through the daze that had descended over her when the alarm sounded. "The bitch deserved it." Hearing those words cleared the haze, bringing her racing back to reality. JJ unholstered her gun, turned from her position and pointed it against his head before anyone could move.

She could feel her hand shake with the tension in her grip. Her eyes burning a silver-blue as she stared at the man who had done this to her Emily. She was aware that her team were talking to her. Their voices seemed so distant to her right then.

"JJ, don't do this." Morgan.

"Stand down Agent Jareau." Hotch.

"JJ?" Reid.

"Put it down JJ." Rossi.

"Jay?" Emily. The voice was weak, distant. It couldn't be Emily. Emily was lying on a stretcher with paramedics trying to stop her blood pressure falling too far for her heart to be able to keep beating. Part of JJ wanted to turn and see if Emily was really awake. If it really was her voice she could hear or if it was just in her mind. The other part of her didn't want to let the man that had tried to kill the woman she loved walk away. "Jay don't." Tears started to run down the blonde's cheeks. She could hear the pain in her lover's voice, the pleading. Her gun started to shake. "I need you." She lowered her gun and stepped away, turning back towards Emily. Hotch took the gun that now hung limply at her side.

"Hey." JJ just looked into those dark brown eyes and felt all of her doubts melt away.

"You didn't leave me." JJ's voice was quiet.

"You're worth fighting for." JJ stroked her hand across the brunette's cheek. Emily managed a small smile.

"Ma-am we need to get her to a hospital. She needs surgery to repair the damage done by that bullet and the sooner we get her there the better."

JJ nodded absently at the paramedic, her eyes locked with Emily's. "Keep fighting."

Emily reached her hand out to take the blonde's free hand. "Always."

The paramedics lifted the stretcher and headed out. JJ kept contact with Emily's hand for as long as she could. The rest of the team followed the stretcher out to the waiting ambulance.

* * *

AN2: See, I'm not evil. Honest guv!


	41. Chapter 41

Disclaimer: I still don't own them.

AN: Thank you for the reviews on my last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. I honestly never thought this would go on so long or that people would still be reading it! Only a short chapter tonight I'm afraid. Hope you like it….Enjoy :o)

Chapter 40

Emily had been taken into surgery as soon as she reached the hospital. The team had followed the ambulance in the SUVs and had arrived immediately after. They had been in the waiting room for the past three hours waiting for any news. Morgan had called Garcia as soon as they left the scene knowing that if he didn't there would be a whole world of trouble waiting for him when he got back to Quantico.

JJ had sat staring at the floor for the whole time. When anyone had tried speaking to her they had been met with no response. It was clear that until there was news on Emily, JJ had shut herself down.

"Where is Emily Prentiss?" The voice seemed to echo around the quiet halls. The team all turned to the sound. The next thing they saw was the nurse coming into the waiting room, closely followed by Ambassador Prentiss. She looked around the faces in the room and headed directly to where Hotch stood. "Agent Hotchner, what happened to my daughter?"

"We don't have all the details yet Ambassador but we know that an unsub managed to abduct Emily, a fight ensued and she was shot in the struggle." Seeing she wasn't overly impressed with the explanation, Hotch continued. "We'll have to wait for Emily's statement to find out the details. She managed to shoot the unsub which saved her life."

"How long has she been in surgery?" The Ambassador was satisfied with the answer that had been given for now.

"Three hours and forty eight minutes." The Ambassador turned to where the new voice had come from. She looked at the young blonde and took in her appearance. She saw how JJ kept her blue eyes fixed on the floor, her whole being seemed smaller than when she had last seen the woman. The Ambassador moved over to where the blonde sat and took the seat next to her.

She looked up at Hotch who stood nearby. "I think we could all do with some coffee Agent Hotchner." Hotch nodded and ushered the rest of the team out of the room.

The Ambassador waited until the rest of the team had left before turning to look at the young woman again. "Agent Jareau isn't it?" She watched as the woman nodded, her attention still focused on the floor. They sat in silence for a moment before the Ambassador spoke very gently. "How long have you been in a relationship with my daughter?"

JJ's head snapped up as her mouth fell open. She was shocked by the question. As far as she knew Emily never spoke to her parents about anything, let alone her relationships.

The Ambassador smiled kindly. "My daughter and I don't see eye to eye on many matters. Things were strained when she was growing up, I missed a lot. It was only recently that I realised how much I had missed and that my own daughter was a stranger to me. That day I came to ask for your teams help, she came by my office and I have never seen someone so uncomfortable. She was more uncomfortable in a room with me than she is in a room with a serial killer." The ambassador paused for a moment. "I made a decision that day to find out who my daughter was. For the first time in her life, I started to pay attention to the woman she was. She doesn't talk to me about anything in depth but whenever she mentioned you, it was clear how she felt. I just didn't realise it was reciprocated."

"A couple of months." The ambassador nodded.

"She will get through this for one simple reason." Seeing the unspoken question in JJ's eyes she continued. "She is stubborn as a mule when she wants something and she wants you. She won't give up on that for anything."

JJ felt a tear slip from her eye. Somehow hearing the ambassador say that Emily wouldn't give up made it seem more real. It made her believe it. "Thank you." The ambassador placed her hand on the young blonde's arm momentarily before sitting back in the chair and waiting.

* * *

The doors to the operating room opened and the doctor walked through. He walked straight over to where the team and the ambassador were waiting. They had all leapt to their feet as soon as the doors had opened. The past four hours had seemed like an eternity to them all.

He looked around the group as if deciding who he should be addressing. The ambassador once again spoke up, "I'm her mother but please explain it to us all." He nodded before addressing the assembled group.

"Agent Prentiss is in recovery. The surgery went well. She had a single gunshot wound to her abdomen. The bullet had perforated her stomach and the inferior vena cava before becoming lodged in the retroperitoneum. We have repaired the damage to her stomach and the vein. She has also sustained a blunt force trauma to her head. We did a CT scan and currently there are no concerns. We will be monitoring her over the next few days as a precaution since we are unsure how long she had lost consciousness for."

"So she's going to be ok?" JJ asked the doctor.

"We hope so. The next few days will be very important. Then she has a long recovery period."

"Thank you doctor." The ambassador shook his hand.

"I'll get one of the nurses to come and tell you when you can visit her." The doctor then turned and headed back through the doors he had come in through.

The team stood quietly for a moment, letting the news sink in.

Hotch was able to breathe a sigh of relief that he hadn't lost his agent. Reid couldn't help but smile at the knowledge that his friend would make a recovery. He'd read several studies on trauma injuries and knew that Emily's pressure hadn't dropped enough to put her into the high risk category. Morgan put his hands behind his neck as he felt a lot of the tension that he'd been holding there for the past few hours drain away. He knew that had anything gone wrong, he'd have a phone call to make to Garcia that he never wanted to make. JJ looked over at him and he read her unspoken request. He headed out of the waiting room to call Garcia to tell her the good news. They all knew that the analyst would be sitting at her desk waiting for any news about her friend.

They were pulled out of their thoughts by the voice of a nurse coming into the waiting room. "You can see Agent Prentiss now but she can only have 2 visitors at a time."

Hotch placed a hand on JJ's shoulder. "Tell her we got the guy when she wakes up." He smiled at the young agent. The ambassador then took JJ's arm and led her through to Emily's room.


	42. Chapter 42

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

AN: Thank you to those who reviewed my last chapter, they do encourage me to write faster. I'm really not 100% happy with this chapter but I can't think how to rework it to something I'm better so my apologies if it sucks. Enjoy :o)

Chapter 41

Fragile. It was a word JJ never thought she would associate with the brunette but lying in that hospital bed with wires and tubes connected to her, she looked it. Her head was wrapped in a bandage and JJ knew that underneath the gown were more bandages covering the bullet wound. She stood just inside the doorway as the ambassador walked over to the bed. She watched as the ambassador took one of Emily's hands and whispered something to her. It was only when the older woman had taken a seat that JJ realised she was still standing in the doorway. She stepped further into the room and took a seat on the opposite side to the ambassador. Her eyes drawn to the screens showing Emily's vitals, the steady patterns and sounds giving her a sense of comfort that the other woman was still with her.

The older woman looked at the blonde sitting opposite her. She hadn't missed the way JJ had lingered at the door when they came in or the way she kept checking the screens. "Why don't you tell me about yourself Agent Jareau?"

JJ was surprised that the ambassador was interested in her. "What would you like to know ma-am?"

The ambassador waved a hand dismissively, "Call me Elizabeth."

"JJ."

The ambassador nodded. "Why don't you tell me about your family?"

JJ thought for a moment. "You've met most of them." Seeing the confusion on the older womans face she continued. "My team are my family. I know it's not blood but sometimes the family we choose for ourselves is stronger. Garcia is like my older sister. She's always there to offer advice or an ear. She always knows what to say to cheer me up. Reid is very much like my geeky kid brother. You feel like you have to look out for him and protect him. He's always been there for me in his own way. Morgan is like the big brother to us. He'd do anything to protect you. Hotch and Rossi are like the parents I guess. They are the ones that keep us all in line and are the stability to us all."

The ambassador listened carefully to the explanation of how their family works. "Who have I not met?" Seeing the slight frown crease the blonde's brow she elaborated. "You said I had met most of them."

"I have my mom and dad back in East Allegheny. My brother is still back home too." She paused for a moment. "We don't talk much. They had a very different view of the paths I should have taken in my life."

"How so?"

"They wanted me to follow in my brother's footsteps. Get married and settle down in town. I never wanted that. I always wanted to do something to make a difference with my life and staying in East Allgheny would have prevented that." She sighed. "I tried to talk to them about my dreams when I was growing up but they never wanted anything more for me than a husband and kids. I made my decision to get out and then spent years working for it. The only way I could afford college was on a full scholarship so I worked for it and it paid off."

"In the years since, have they not adjusted to your new life?" The ambassador was quietly impressed with the young woman sitting across from her. She knew that it took a lot of determination and perseverance to break away from your parent's wishes and go it alone. She'd watched Emily do it.

"I thought for a while they had but then…" JJ paused for a moment, unsure how the ambassador would react to her next revelation. "I got pregnant." She glanced at the older woman to gauge her reaction and was surprised to see understanding in her features. "They wanted me to get married and quit my job. They weren't too impressed when I told them I wasn't leaving my job."

"Did you marry him?"

"No. I don't even remember agreeing to his proposal before he announced it to the team." JJ could feel all of the emotions resurfacing about Will.

"What's your child's name?" The ambassador asked suddenly, breaking JJ out of her thoughts.

"Henry."

"I have to know JJ, is my daughter good with him? She always shied away from the young children when she was growing up."

JJ couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face, her eyes drawn to the face of the woman lying in the bed in front of her. "She's amazing with him. He has her wrapped around his little finger though. I remember the first time she tried to put him to bed. She ended up reading him 3 fairy tales to get him to sleep. Then she managed to drop the book when she stood up and woke him up again. She eventually told me the only way she got him back to sleep was playing him songs from her ipod."

The ambassador smiled. "That's exactly what her father used to do with her as a baby. She'd only sleep if she had the Beatles playing. It took years to get her out of that habit."

The two women laughed together over stories of the antics of Emily as a baby. Both glad of the distraction from the time that Emily was still unconscious for.

"I get the feeling that you make a very happy family." The ambassador commented, her eyes showing the sincerity of the comment. She didn't miss the sadness that entered the blonde's eyes. "Emily will wake up JJ."

JJ shook her head. "I know, she promised. It's just…Someone else is threatening our family."

"Tell me." JJ looked into eyes the same colour as Emily's and there was something that compelled her to tell the ambassador the whole story. She told her about Will and everything that had happened between them. Told her about the phone call and her fear of losing Henry. The whole time, the ambassador just sat quietly and listened to every detail. After JJ finished, they had sat quietly for a moment. Each woman thinking about everything that had just been shared. The ambassador reached her hand across to place it over JJ's hand. "Everything will work out in the end."

JJ watched as the ambassador stood from her seat. "I think we could both do with some coffee and something to eat and I need to stretch my legs. I'll be back soon." With that the ambassador left the room, leaving JJ in the quiet with just the rhythmic sounds of the machines to keep her company.

"You need to wake up Em. I have so much to tell you." JJ jumped when she felt something. She stared at the hand that lay in Emily's, wondering if she had imagined it. Then she saw it, Emily's fingers slowly tightening on hers. "Em? Em baby, open your eyes." JJ stood from her chair making sure her hand remained in contact with the brunette at all times. She brought her other hand up to the older woman's face and gently caressed her cheek. Then she saw it. Emily's eyelids began to flutter. "Come on Em, you can do it." She felt tears fall down her cheeks as she found herself looking into Emily's deep brown eyes once more.

"Hey." Her voice was raspy and quiet. "Don't cry Jay."

JJ leant down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I'm just happy you are back with me." Emily lifted her hand and placed it on JJ's cheek, her thumb wiping the tears away.

"Always." She smiled as best she could and was rewarded with a big smile from the blonde.

"The rest of the team and your mom are here Em." Seeing the shock at hearing her mother had come down JJ explained everything that had transpired since the house.

* * *

Emily watched as the rest of the team filed into the room. The doctor had been in and checked her over before allowing them access. After the initial greetings had been made, Hotch broke the jovial mood. "If you aren't up to this now, just say but we need to know what happened."

Emily nodded. "It's ok. I have one question first. The barrels…what was in them?"

Hotch's expression changed. "He had developed a very efficient means of disposing of the bodies. He'd put them in the first barrel with a solution of biological laundry detergent and then transfer the bones into a second barrel of sulphuric acid."

"Why?"

Reid answered for Hotch. "It is actually a very refined method of disposing of bodies in a relatively short space of time and leaves no evidence."

Emily nodded. She knew that her only other question would be one that would remain unanswered as there would be no way to ascertain how many victims there had been with no chance of finding bodies. Emily took a moment to compose herself before telling the team her side of the events.


	43. Chapter 43

Discalimer: I don't own any of them.

AN: Thank you to all those who reviewed. I might not be so quick in updating as I'm back at work tomorrow but I'll try not to leave it too long between updates. Reviews do make me write faster ;o)

Chapter 42

Emily took a deep breath before recounting her story for the team. "I was searching the back room. I'd just bent down to pick up a necklace from the floor and then…" She frowned as she tried to recall what happened next. "Then nothing until I woke up in a strange place." Her hand unconsciously reached up to her head and felt the bandages there. "I tried to find a way out but as I made my way along the corridor, I saw the barrels." Emily stopped as the memory of what she had found inside flashed into her memory. "That's when I knew that I had to find my own way out or end up in one of the barrels."

JJ watched as Emily's heart monitor increased slightly as the memory of what she had seen was recounted. She was about to intervene when Emily's eyes made contact with hers. That one look was enough to let her know that Emily wanted to continue.

"I found that crowbar and then had nothing to do but wait. That's when I found my radio was still there. I thought for a moment that it was still going to work." She locked her eyes onto JJ's. "I tried to talk to you but the radio was broken. I felt myself losing hope of getting out of there alive." Emily paused for a moment as a smile appeared on her face as the image of what had restored her desire to keep fighting flashed into her mind. "Then I remembered why I had to keep fighting." The smile vanished as she remembered hearing those footsteps. "I heard him. I heard the lock on the door and then his footsteps. I knew that any moment he would be coming round that corner to kill me."

Emily's heart rate was increasing as she spoke. "I moved to stand at the corner so when he was close enough I could take him by surprise. I waited as the footsteps came closer but as I stepped round and swung the bar, he moved. I guess my co-ordination was worse than I thought. My shoulder slammed into the wall. Before I could move, he'd grabbed my arm and twisted it so hard I was waiting to hear the snap as it broke." She took a shaky breath to steady herself. "I knew I had to get the upper hand so I pushed back and slammed us both into the opposite wall."

"That's what we must have heard." Morgan added.

"I must have hit my head against it as I slammed him back as my vision blurred. I thought I was going to pass out again but I managed to fight it off and started to move down the corridor where he had come from. I just wanted to get out of there before I passed out. Then I heard the gun."

JJ watched as Emily's heart rate went higher. She was starting to worry about how high it was with the injuries the brunette had sustained, she worried that the increase in her heart rate would lead to complications. Before she could speak, Emily continued her story.

"I knew he was going to kill me but I couldn't just wait for it to happen."

"_Stand up." He commanded. _

_Emily considered her options but knew she had a better chance of doing something from standing than on her knees. If she was going to die, it wouldn't be on her knees. She stood slowly. _

"_Turn around." _

_She turned to face the unsub. Hoping that at any moment, the team would burst through the door and save her. As the seconds ticked by she knew it wasn't going to happen, at least not before he pulled the trigger. "You don't have to do this." She knew it was unlikely that she would be able to reason with this unsub but she had to try._

"_No…But I want to. Goodbye Agent." _

_She could see that he was angry. She knew her next move was a gamble but right then it was her only option. "What's wrong? Gun too impersonal? Leave you too far away to really enjoy killing me? I bet you normally use a knife. Do you want to know why you use a knife to kill women?" She could see he was getting angrier at her. "I'll tell you. It's a substitute. It's the only way you can get penetration with women. You're impotent and that is the only way you get release." She saw him step up to her, pressing the gun square into her chest. _

"_You bitch. I'll show you…" Before he could finish the statement Emily grabbed for the gun, twisting as she held his arm. The first shot rang out, part of her registered a pain in her side but she couldn't stop to think of that now. She elbowed him in the face as she twisted the gun in his own hand and pulled the trigger. She saw his eyes widen and watched him stagger back a step. He looked down at his shirt and saw the blood there. Before Emily could register what he was doing he slammed the side of the gun into the back of her head watching as she fell to the floor. _

"The next thing I remember is waking up on that stretcher." JJ had moved to take her hand. Emily focused on that touch as she finished retelling her story. Feeling the warmth from the blonde's hand.

Hotch nodded as he finished making some notes. "Get some rest Prentiss. I'll make the arrangements for when you are able to travel back to DC." Hotch placed a hand on her shoulder breifly before leaving the room, closely followed by the other members of the team.

JJ sat quietly for a moment, thinking about what Emily had said. "I heard you." She turned her blue eyes to meet brown, seeing the confusion in them. "On your radio…It wasn't broken, I heard what you said." She saw the realisation dawn in the older woman's eyes before she continued. "I'm sorry for pushing you away too Em. I always run but I don't want to anymore. I never want to run from you."

Emily smiled gently at the blonde woman before raising her hand to the younger woman's cheek. "Jay…I'd always follow." She pulled the other woman towards her and allowed their lips to meet in a tender kiss, trying to express all the love she felt for the blonde in that one action.

"Sorry to interrupt." The voice from the doorway made them both spring apart like guilty teenagers.

"Mother." Emily could feel her cheeks burning and a quick glance at JJ told her the blonde was feeling the same thing.

"Oh really Emily, I have more important things on my mind than catching you kissing your girlfriend."

Emily felt her mouth open and close without sound. She was stunned. Her mother had not only worked out that she was gay but also seemed to be accepting it. She was snapped out of her impromptu fish impersonation when she felt JJ's fingers under her chin closing her mouth.

"Now, here is a number that you both need. It is to a lawyer I know that specialises in family law." She handed Emily a card with a number printed on it. "This next one is an au pair agency that is very highly recommended. I realise that you already have your own plans but consider this a back up for when you are called out of town and your friends can't help." She handed the second card to Emily. "Obviously it's up to the pair of you if you decide to use them or not but there is a third option you can consider." Elizabeth paused for a moment and when she started speaking again her tone had lost the formality it normally held. "Since I am between assignments then I'd be happy to help out with Henry. I know I wasn't the best mother but things change Emily. I'd like to help you and JJ out if I can."

Emily was stunned by her mother's reaction to everything and the fact that she had gone out of her way to help Emily. Not only that but to offer to look after Henry for them. "Thank you mother."

"Yes well, I have to go and make some arrangements. I assume you like hospitals now as much as when you were a child?" Seeing Emily smile slightly she continued. "Well, I need to make sure we can have you moved back as soon as possible." She turned to JJ before leaving. "Take care of her for me."

JJ nodded and watched as the ambassador left the room. Both women stared at the door for a moment in shock at what had just happened. Emily broke the silence. "Jay? What exactly did you say to my mother?" JJ just laughed at Emily's expression.

"The truth Em."


	44. Chapter 44

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

AN: Many thanks to those of you who reviewed. I struggled to write this chapter so I hope it works ok. I wasn't going to post this but I had some encouragement so extra thanks to T who convinced me it was worth posting. x Enjoy :o)

Chapter 43

"It's good to be home." Emily said as they walked up to the front porch, her arm resting on JJ's partially for support and partially just to maintain contact with the blonde. The past few days while Emily had been kept in the hospital, JJ had stayed by her side. They had taken the time away from work to talk. They had discussed all of the issues brought up by Mrs LaMontagne and spoken to the lawyer Emily's mom had recommended. "One good thing about being signed off work is that I can finish our…" Emily's words died in her throat as she set foot inside the hall. The dust sheets were gone and everything was newly painted. She turned to look at the blonde, the question clearly evident in her eyes.

"The guys might have offered to finish it off for us. A welcome home present." When Emily didn't speak JJ began to grow concerned. "I know how much you were enjoying the fact we were doing it ourselves but it seemed too good an offer to turn down."

Emily silenced the blonde with a kiss. "Jay, the only reason I was so into the whole painting thing was because of the bribery on your part." She winked at the blonde. "I told you I'm not good with my hands. I'm more an ideas girl."

JJ couldn't suppress the smile that crept onto her face. "You are good with your hands Em…Very good." She was rewarded with a blush spreading across the brunette's cheeks. The blonde leant in and kissed the brunette, allowing her tongue the opportunity to explore the velvety depths of the other womans mouth.

"How about I remind you how good I am with my hands?" Emily's voice had taken on a decidedly husky tone as she broke the kiss.

JJ bit her lip to prevent the moan that was threatening to emerge at the images Emily had conjured in her mind with that one phrase. "As much as I'd love to say yes, we have 20 minutes until our first interview for Henry's nanny arrives."

"So? That's 20 minutes."

"You'll just have to wait Em." She placed a gentle kiss on the brunette's lips before stepping back and picking up their bags. As she moved past Emily she turned back, "What I have planned needs so much longer than 20 minutes." She winked at the brunette before heading up the stairs to put their bags away.

Emily watched her disappear around the corner before hearing the sound of knocking.

"Look who it is!" Emily heard the unmistakable voice of Garcia. Emily turned and saw her friend at the door with Henry in her arms. As soon as Henry saw the brunette he started to reach out towards her. "Guess someone is glad to see you." Garcia walked over to the brunette and handed her Henry.

"You mean you're not glad to see me? I'm hurt." Garcia rolled her eyes at the older woman.

"Where's that girlfriend of yours anyway?"

"Putting our bags out of the way before the nanny interviews start." Emily answered while smiling at Henry. She pretended to steal his nose and was rewarded with a giggle.

"Oh talking of…I ran full background checks on all of the applicants."

Emily stopped playing with Henry to look at her friend. "Garcia…You do remember the whole misuse of FBI privileges problems of the past right?"

Garcia just waved a dismissive hand at her friend. "Pah…Rules are there to be broken fraternization girl." She raised one of her eyebrows at the brunette. "Henry's welfare is more important. Besides you really think I left any trace of the searches?"

* * *

JJ came down to find Emily and Garcia laughing together. She loved seeing this side to the brunette. The blonde was so used to seeing the guarded and serious side to Emily that seeing the happy and unguarded side still felt like a rare treat. One that she itneded to see more of in the years to come.

"Oh Jayj…Did you know?" Emily asked between the laughs.

"Know what?" A slight frown creased her brow.

"Rebecca Sole." Emily couldn't continue talking for a moment as she broke down into a fresh bout of giggles. She managed to control herself for long enough to clear up the confusion so clear on the blonde's face. "LaMontagne. Her maiden name was Sole. Making her Rebecca Sole. R Sole."

"Couldn't think of a more appropriate name." Garcia managed between her laughter.

JJ couldn't stop herself from joining in with the laughter. She sank down on the couch next to Emily. "I needed that." She said after eventually regaining control of her breathing. She bent down to give Henry a kiss on his head, not wanting to disturb him from his game of pulling Emily's hair over her eyes so she couldn't see.

"Anyway ladies, your nanny candidates are all clear. On that note I shall leave you to find your very own Nanny McPhee…Just try to avoid the warts."

* * *

Emily and JJ were waiting in their lawyer's office to discuss the case before the meeting with Mrs LaMontagne and her lawyer. It had been a long week and they both knew that everything they had been working on over the past week had been building up to this. They hoped that after their meeting today Will's mom would see that pursuing the case through the courts would be a waste of her time.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." The man went and sat down behind his desk. "Right, based on the statements from your team and families, the appointment of a nanny and your living situation I really don't foresee a problem even if we have to go through the courts. I have won cases with less." He smiled kindly at the two women. "Now, I know there is going to be a certain amount of negative feeling towards Mrs LaMontagne but I have to advise you to remain calm and avoid getting drawn into personal insults."

"Not a problem." Emily reached over and took JJ's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as the phone rang.

"Are we ready?"

Both women stood and followed their lawyer out of the room, their hands remained interlocked as they walked along the corridor to the conference room. As they entered the room, Emily looked at the woman who had brought so much hurt and upset into their lives. She instantly felt a flash of anger rise inside her towards the other woman but the feeling of JJ's hand in hers helped her to regain her calm. They took their seats opposite the woman and her lawyer and listened as their lawyer began to speak.

"Good morning. Before we make a start is there anything that you need?"

"No thank you."

"Ok, my clients have had a chance to read Mrs LaMontagne's application to the court and we wanted to have the opportunity to meet to see if we can settle this without a long drawn out process."

Their lawyer then took each point of the application in turn and answered how it had been rectified. Emily made sure she kept her fingers intertwined with JJ's, offering her as much support as she could. The lawyers then drew their discussions to a close.

"Now, I suggest we take a break to allow everyone to discuss what has been said and hopefully we can reach a satisfactory conclusion." Emily and JJ made a move to stand to follow their lawyer when the voice of Mrs LaMontagne stopped them dead.

"No need for a break." Emily felt JJ squeeze her hand. Emily offered her own silent prayer that the woman was going to see sense and not continue with this action. "Are you going to give me custody?" Emily felt her heart plunge at hearing those words, knowing that all her hopes of the woman being reasonable were shattered.

"Never." JJ's voice was strong and clear. Her determination showing through in that one word.

"After what you did to my Will, you'll never win and you'll never see him again." The venom in her voice made Emily want to recoil.

"We'll see you in court." Their lawyer ushered them out of the room before the situation could deteriorate.

As soon as they were back in the privacy of the office, Emily turned to JJ expecting to see a sadness or defeat in her eyes. What she saw when she looked into those clear blue eyes surprised her, there was nothing but determination and confidence held within them. As she looked into JJ's eyes at that moment, she knew that they would fight and they would win.


	45. Chapter 45

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them unfortunately.

AN: First of all, a big thank you to all those who reviewed my last chapter. Secondly, my apologies for the huge delay in posting this chapter. I hadn't forgotten about this story, just lost a bit of momentum with it. Hopefully this chapter is worth the wait and someone is still reading. Enjoy :o)

Chapter 45

The time between the meeting with Mrs LaMontagne and the court case seemed to race past. Both Emily and JJ had found themselves struggling to focus on work more and more as the date drew closer.

"Em?" JJ rolled over onto her side to face the brunette as they lay in bed. "You awake?"

"Yeah, can't sleep."

"Why?"

Emily turned so she was mirroring the blonde. She leant her head in one of her hands and looked at the other woman. "Just can't stop thinking. I had started to allow myself to think of a future with you and Henry and then all this happened." She sighed. "I just worry sometimes that no matter what we do, it's never going to be enough because…because you're with me." Emily's voice had dropped to a whisper as she finished sharing her thoughts.

JJ was shocked to hear Emily's confession. "Why would being with you affect it Em?"

"It's not exactly the picture perfect family lifestyle is it? I'm scared that a judge is not going to be able to get past the fact that you are with me." A single tear slipped out from Emily's eye. Before it could get very far in its trail down her cheek, JJ had reached over and brushed it away with her thumb. "I just wonder sometimes if you'd have been better without me."

"Emily nothing could be further from the truth. You are the one who got me through everything that has happened. Without you then she'd have a real claim as I'd be in no state to look after Henry. You are the best thing to happen to me Em. You would have given your life for me and Henry. I'd never be better off without you."

Emily was quiet for a moment, thinking about everything JJ had said and everything they had to come. "Thank you."

"Come here." JJ opened her arms and the brunette gladly slid over the bed towards her. JJ wrapped her arms around the body now nestled up against her and placed a kiss on her head. "We're going to win."

* * *

JJ and Emily were waiting to be called into the court. Emily was alternating between checking her watch and tapping her foot on the floor. She stopped when she felt JJ's hand rest against her leg. Looking over to meet blue eyes she smiled. "Sorry."

JJ smiled back. Before she had a chance to say anything, she heard her name being called. "Here we go."

JJ and Emily followed their lawyer into the small courtroom. They took their seats at one table and glanced over seeing Mrs LaMontagne already seated at the other. As the judge entered they all stood and mentally prepared themselves for what was to come.

* * *

"Miss Jareau, what is your job title?"

"Media liaison and communications director for the behavioural analysis unit of the FBI."

"Could you tell me what your job entails?"

"I assess the different cases that are sent to the BAU and identify the cases that require the attendance of the team. I am also responsible for issuing statements to the press and organising press conferences and liaising with the local police departments to ensure cohesive working."

"So you are office based?"

JJ knew exactly where this line of questioning was going. "Partly but I am also required to be present in the field with the team."

"So this takes you away from home. How often would you say you are away from home?"

"When a case requires our attendance then I will be away."

"Yes, but how often is that? Once a month? Once a fortnight? Once a week? More often?"

"On average once every two to three weeks. The rest of the time I…"

"Thank you." He cut her off. "Now focusing on Henry's care. Who has looked after him when you are away from home?"

"We have a nanny employed who looks after him whenever needed."

"Has that always been the case?"

"No."

"What happened before?"

"Henry's father used to look after him."

"And after Mr LaMontagne's untimely death, what happened then?"

JJ could feel her anger at anyone suggesting Will's death was untimely. She was about to make a comment about that when she saw Emily's face and caught the slight shake of her head. Taking a breath to calm herself she spoke evenly. "Henry's godmother looked after him and he went to the FBI day care."

"Henry's godmother…Is this Penelope Garcia?"

"Yes."

"Do you always let your son be cared for by those with a criminal record?"

"Objection. Your honour, there is no criminal record in existence for Penelope Garcia."

"Sustained."

The lawyer paused for a moment considering the next line of questioning. "What is your living arrangement?"

"Henry and I live with my partner."

"And your partner is…?"

"Emily Prentiss."

"And how long have you known Miss Prentiss?"

"3 years."

"Were you having an affair with Miss Prentiss while with Mr LaMontagne?"

"No." JJ's voice held an edge of anger to it.

"So this relationship started after your separation from Mr LaMontagne?"

"Yes."

"And yet you already live together. Do you not think that is very fast?"

"No. I have known Emily for three years and she has been my best friend for that long. Somewhere along the line our feelings developed into more than just friendship. It's not like we were strangers before we started dating."

"Have you considered the effect of your lifestyle on Henry?"

"Yes."

"So you admit that you consider your lifestyle choice has a potentially adverse effect on your son?"

"No."

"But why would you consider its effect if you didn't think it might have a detrimental affect on him?"

"I…We…" JJ glanced across to Emily. She met the brunette's gaze and drew upon her for strength. Taking a deep breath she continued. "The world is not perfect. There are people who will always harbour some form of prejudice. Whether it is homophobia or racism or sexism or any other form of hatred. Of course I considered what Henry could face in his life. Just like I considered the effect having a serial killer for a father would have."

* * *

JJ had finally been released from the stand after a couple of hours of questioning from both lawyers. She returned to the table feeling exhausted from everything she had been made to recount. She knew that she had done all she could and now had to rely on the others and the judge to ensure she kept her son.

* * *

"Miss Garcia…Could you tell us how you came to get your job as technical analyst with the FBI?"

Garcia frowned slightly. "They offered me a job after I came to their attention."

"How did you come to their attention?"

"I hacked the FBI mainframe."

* * *

Garcia had stepped down and felt like she had let JJ and Emily down. Her criminal record should have been sealed and yet they had somehow found out about it and used it to make her seem unsuitable as a carer for Henry.

* * *

"State your name and job title for the record please."

"Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, unit chief for the behavioural analysis unit of the FBI based in Quantico."

"You have submitted a statement to the court regarding the character of Agent Jareau is that correct?"

"It is."

"Could you read the statement to us."

Hotch lifted the document and began to read. "I have worked with Jennifer Jareau for six years. She joined the BAU as soon as she left the academy. She had proven herself to be outstanding during her time there and as such earned a place in the most sought after team in the FBI. In the six years that she has worked with the FBI, she had proven herself to be an outstanding agent and never once faltered in her post." Hotch paused. "For those outside of the team it is hard to grasp the dynamic of the team. It is far more than a team, it is a family. As such, you get to know the people in your team very well on a personal level in addition to the professional role. As a friend JJ is loyal and supportive. She is the heart of our family. The one we all rely upon to maintain the emotional connection in every case we face. We also rely on her in that same role within our team. She has been there to support her best friend through being shot. She has been a guide to Reid in helping him understand the emotions he was unfamiliar with. She holds our very dysfunctional family together. If she can support and help individuals such as ourselves through the things we have been force to face, then there is no doubt in my mind that she will support and guide Henry through whatever challenges lie ahead in his life. There is no question about her priorities about her family. I know that if it came to a choice between her career or her family, she would not repeat my mistakes. She would pick her family every time."

"She didn't pick her family. She turned her back on my son. She destroyed him and then killed him." Mrs LaMontagne screamed as she rose to her feet, no longer controlling her anger.

"Sit down Mrs LaMontagne or you will be held in contempt. Agent Hotchner please disregard any comments made."

"Your honour, if it pleases you I would like to respond. I worked on this case and can offer my professional opinion as an FBI profiler."

"You may continue."

Hotch nodded before continuing. "Will LaMontagne was not turned into a serial killer by Agent Jareau. Every woman he murdered was a successful professional who had left her family for her job. He was not a killer as the result of a psychotic break. This was a behaviour that had been developing since he was a child. The most influential time in the development of the human psyche is childhood. It is when we learn how to interact with others, what these feelings we experience are and what we associate with them. We form associations between behaviours and feelings at this formative time. The women he targeted were not representations of Agent Jareau. It was only after we had identified Will as the unsub that we understood the deeper links the victims had. They were all representative of his mother. This manifested itself either in a physical manner or in their personalities. He viewed his mother spending so much time at work during his childhood years as a form of abandonment. He resented her for that reason."

"I always told him I loved him. He knew he was loved."

"Yes. He heard those words from you and associated love with abandonment and the feelings of anger it created within him. He acted out as a child in an attempt to get attention from his mother. Yet the only attention he received was in the form of punishment for his behaviour. This further reinforced his association of pain with love."

"He only killed after her." She pointed at JJ.

"He only began killing after he lost the stabilising factor in his life, his father. Once his father died, he lost the only means of controlling what he felt. That was when he started to devolve into the killer he became. Agent Jareau was not to blame, you were."

Mrs LaMontagne sat very quietly for a moment. Hotch was dismissed from the stand. The judge declared a recess to give all parties a chance to regain control of their emotions. As they all stood to allow the judge to leave, something snapped in Mrs LaMontagne. She turned and launched herself across the gap between the tables at JJ.

"You bitch! You murdered my son!" Before she got hold of JJ, Emily had stepped across in front of the blonde. She grabbed the older woman's arm and twisted it bringing her down against the table and holding her in place. The bailiffs took the woman away while she was still screaming obscenities at JJ.

* * *

Following the recess, everyone bar Mrs LaMontagne were back in the court room. The judge looked over at the two women sitting at the table. He noticed how Emily had rested her hand over JJ's on the desk.

"In light of the evidence that I have heard and the behaviour I have witnessed, unless there are objections from either side, I am ready to deliver my judgement." Seeing neither lawyer object to this he continued. "Miss Jareau, it is clear to me that you are held in very high regard by your team who through everyone's admission are like a family. It is obvious that you have the support of a partner who will put your welfare above her own in any situation as she proved today. I have no doubt in my mind that the home you have created for your son is one that is filled with love and support. It is also clear that you understand, perhaps more than most, the attitudes he may face in his life but you will support him through these challenges. I am certain that with Henry growing up in your care, he will develop into a very well rounded and happy young man. As such, I award full custody to Jennifer Jareau. In light of today's events I am also attaching a restraining order against Mrs LaMontagne that states she may have no contact with either yourself or your family and she is not to come within 50 miles of you."

* * *

As JJ sat on the couch, she watched Emily play with Henry. She couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face at the carefree expression the brunette had as she tickled the baby. "Em?" Seeing the brown eyes turn to hers she continued. "Is it over now?"

Emily turned back to Henry and blew a raspberry on his stomach before picking him up and moving to sit on the couch beside the blonde. "It is."

JJ smiled as a tear slid down her cheek. Emily reached out to brush the tear away. "What's wrong Jay?"

"You remember the line Will always put in the notes? I never could give the right answer to a simple question…Is love enough?" Seeing the brunette nod she continued. "I have the answer now…It is. With you it is more than enough."

Emily smiled and leant in to place a kiss on the blonde's lips, knowing that despite everything that had happened love had been enough for them to get through it. Now they had their present and the future as a family to look forward to.

* * *

**AN: Ok, I think I'm going to end this one here. I hope that you enjoyed it. Huge thanks to anyone who reviewed or PM'd me as I wrote this one. Every comment was greatly appreciated and made sure I didn't stop writing.**


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